A NUMBER of state government-managed toilet facilities in Mornington Peninsula tourist hotspots have been closed for months, with padlocked doors or fencing around them, and no sign of reopening.
An attempt by Cr David Gill to shine a light on the closures was seized by his colleague Cr Steve Holland who tried to turn the issue into an attack on both Gill and The News.
Tourism is a vital segment of our economy, and the visitor experience essential for our future prosperity.
A notice of motion from Gill presented to Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors at the 23 July public meeting requested a letter be sent to the state government expressing concerns at the toilets being closed, particularly in coastal areas.
“Some of the facilities have been closed for six months and no one has an answer,” Gill said.
“I am wondering if there is an intention to open them again.”
Gill told the meeting that the toilets needed maintenance or repair but, rather than undertaking works, the government was closing them and directing people to the nearest shire-run public toilets.
“We have eight million visitors a year. If we’re interested in our tourist industry I think we’re interested in having toilets available for them at our beaches,” Gill said.
“It is not a minor issue.
“The shire officers, in their first comments [on the meeting’s agenda], say ‘we’re aware of the closure of some state government managed toilet facilities’… nothing else, in terms of doing anything.
“This [motion] is taking it a step further.”
Gill’s call to action coincides with an audit of shire-run amenities.
“This state government has a long record of ignoring local government, and especially in areas where there is no publicity. If there is some publicity about toilets and eight million people visit, I think they’ll answer us. They’ll answer local government on this one,” he said.
The motion to write to the state government about the toilets being closed was not welcomed by at least one councillor. The day before the motion was presented to the council, Holland attempted to have it amended.
His amendment, which was the subject of emails back and forth between Holland, councillors, council officers, and shire CEO John Baker, accused Gill of wasting everybody’s time “so that Cr Gill can once again climb atop his soap box to grab a self-promoting headline in a newspaper that nobody reads”.
It is believed that his suggested amendment, which could be seen as a waste of councillors’ time before the motion was debated in council, was refused by the mayor Cr Simon Brooks.
Tina McGuffie from the shire’s communications department told The News: “Cr Holland’s proposed amendment was not accepted by the chair and was not moved at the meeting; therefore, it is not on the public record. Can I ask how you came to know about it?”
Brooks told The News: “We don’t have a comprehensive list of toilets managed by the state government, but we are aware that the state-managed toilets at London Bridge in Portsea, the Portsea Surf Life Saving Club and the Mushroom Reef toilet at Flinders have been closed, leaving beachgoers without this service.
“We will be writing to the relevant minister within the next couple of weeks to ask that these toilets be kept open and in good working order.”
Holland, once a rising star in the Liberal Party, missed preselection for the Upper House seat of Eastern Victoria left vacant by the retirement of Edward O’Donohue (Councillor aims for state seat, The News 18/10/21). The chosen Liberal candidate was Cathrine Burnett-Wake.
It is understood Holland stood down as the chair of the Dunkley Federal Electoral Conference after a “turf war” broke out in the Liberal Party (‘Turf war’ splits peninsula Liberals, The News 22/08/22). At the time, Holland told The News “What is happening within the Liberal Party at the moment can be described as a turf war on a sinking continent.”
The internal wranglings in the local branch of the Liberal Party saw long-time Mornington MP David Morris ousted with former federal member for Dunkley, Chris Crewther preselected over him for the 2022 state election. Crewther won the seat and is now MP for Mornington.
The News asked the shire if Holland’s attempted amendment was a breach of its Councillor Code of Conduct, which states that a councillor should not engage in abusive behaviour (Standard 1) or discredit a member of the public (Standard 4).
The News further inquired if Holland’s conduct was a violation of s 123 of the Local Government Act Vic (2020) (‘LGA’) – Misuse of power – that states a councillor must not intentionally misuse their position (LGA s 123(1)) to cause, or attempt to cause, detriment to… another person (LGA s 123(1)(b)).
The shire did not respond to requests by deadline.
