Nepean by-election
With the Nepean by-election approaching on 2 May, the volume of commentary in recent days reflects a community that is engaged and paying attention.
What matters, however, is not which side dominates the letters page, but the standard of leadership being offered to voters.
At a local level, concerns about the performance of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council have been raised often and by many. Questions around governance, direction and accountability are not trivial matters, and they should not be brushed aside in the rush of campaign rhetoric.
It is entirely reasonable for voters to consider not only what candidates are saying now, but what they have demonstrated over time. Consistency, transparency and genuine commitment to the community should carry far more weight than shifting positions or political convenience.
This by-election presents an opportunity to reflect on the kind of representation the Nepean electorate expects and deserves.
Anne Kruger, Rye
Communications role
Voters in the electorate of Nepean might well remember that, as mayor and with CEO Mark Stoermer, candidate Anthony Marsh brought in a well-known and long serving spin doctor to run council communication.
Until recently he was working in the Liberal Party as chief of staff for the ex-leader of the Opposition in the Victorian Parliament.
Why does Mornington Peninsula Shire Council need a highly paid spin doctor?
Rose White, Flinders
Editor’s note: Councillors and the mayor have no role in appointing staff at the shire, with the exception of the appointment of the CEO. The shire told The News that the communications director was appointed to the an advertised position through an open process overseen by the CEO.
Mayor Marsh
Please put mayor Marsh last in the Nepean by-election, because that is where he has put you in his time as a Mornington Peninsula councillor.
Anthony Marsh has just left his council role to campaign in the Nepean by-election after promising with hand over heart that he would not be another politician using the council as a stepladder.
I recommend, dear reader, that you closely scrutinise his record.
Having a majority group of six, mayor Marsh used divisive tactics to dominate council instead of judging issues on their merits.
Mayor Marsh and his supporters have shut down council briefings being public, and have banned councillors from publicly questioning officers at Council meetings. Further, they have attacked residents democratic rights by enforcing prior registration for the public to attend council meetings. And, having promised to freeze rates, they then voted for and ensured the largest rate increase allowable.
Please consider this when you cast your vote in the Nepean by-election in May.
Peter Monie, Flinders
Not ratepayers’ role
Mornington Peninsula ratepayers shouldn’t be funding political career moves. It’s time to end taxpayer-funded by-elections.
This issue isn’t make believe, it’s already playing out. In the past two council sessions, councillors pursuing higher office left us exposed to costly by-elections and without representation in their elected ward.
When a councillor runs for state or federal parliament and wins, their seat is vacated. If the councillor does not win then his council seat is saved for him. The cost of replacing them falls directly on ratepayers, money that should be spent on local roads, infrastructure, libraries, and essential services, not on political career moves.
It’s avoidable, and the we are right to tell them so.
Local government is meant to provide stability. Residents expect the people they elect to serve their full term. When council positions are treated as stepping stones, it undermines trust and shifts the burden onto the public.
There’s a simple fix! If a councillor intends to run for another elected office, they should have to resign before nominating. No safety net. No fallback if the campaign fails. If they’re serious about the next role, give up the current one.
It’s about accountability. It’s about respecting the community that put you there in the first place.
Mornington Peninsula Shire has an opportunity to take a clear stand and set the benchmark for councils across Victoria: public office is a commitment, not a career hedge.
Put residents first. Protect public money. Restore trust. Pass a council law that councillors must resign if they elect to run for other offices. There should be no leave of absence from council duties, council duties is what we elected them to do.
Serve your term or step aside.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Supporting Tracee
I am a rusted-on Labor member. Labor’s policy of not contesting unheld seats in by-elections means we will not be running a candidate.
We are facing this by-election because the Liberal Party undermined its own member, and that member, Sam Groth, showed such disrespect for the people who elected him by not waiting six months before resigning. He and his party have forced the state government to spend millions of dollars on a by-election.
Voters are faced with a choice between a recently drafted Liberal Party candidate, a One Nation candidate, a party that wants to stop action on renewables, a Libertarian candidate who plastered his corflutes illegally across the electorate, a Greens candidate, and the Community Independent, Tracee Hutchison.
I know Tracee will not make things easy for the Labor government; she will challenge it when it is necessary. Tracee is a truly independent and honest candidate with deep roots in the electorate of Nepean. Tracee is not a recent convert to championing local issues.
Like Sarah Race, the Labor candidate for Flinders last election, she has shown up again and again — supporting rebuilding Rosebud Hospital, protecting our natural environment and coastlines, highlighting homelessness and affordable housing, and supporting the arts community.
Her long record of activity on the peninsula is the proof that Tracee will advocate for the people of Nepean and, where possible, work with the government of the day to achieve the best outcomes for our community.
Marg D’Arcy, Rye
Liberal congratulations
Congratulations to the Liberal pre-selection committee for Nepean; they have allayed any concern I previously held that the Liberals were about to slide further down that slippery slope of allowing doctor’s wives to gain some influence in the club. With support for the federal Liberals collapsing after their short lived experiment with female leadership under Sussan Ley and the same thing happen in South Australia with their decimation under Ms. Ashton Hurn, I feel reassured that the power brokers in Nepean have stuck to true Liberal values and nominated a bloke, one of the boys, a genuine political animal who has demonstrated at local council level he is adroit at playing the game of politics with his sleeves rolled up.
For any small “l” liberals who are feeling unheard and frustrated, the upcoming by-election presents a perfect opportunity to send your party a message; Tracee Hutchison, a fantastic independent candidate with a long history of community engagement, will be on the ballot. Her only interest is to represent and improve the community she lives in.
Give her a go. If she doesn’t meet or exceed your expectations, the next election is only six months away in November. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how much a focussed, determined woman can achieve for her community by doing politics differently.
Gerard Heijden, Rye
Hutchison support
In April, at The Sorrento Writers Festival, Bob Brown, world renowned environmentalist, is speaking. He will be here, in this beautiful place we call home.
How will it look that at Arthurs Seat, a wonderful nature area and a public park, a 25 million dollar commercially operated luge has been approved by the Allen government. (I hadn’t heard of a luge before this one).
What about the bushland, the habitat for animals and birds, a place for people to enjoy? What about the risk of cliffs falling?
We will have to hang our heads in shame.
Let’s support Tracee Hutchison, the independent community candidate, who has called this out.
Amanda Stuart, Blairgowrie
Tracee support
I am writing out of concern for our beautiful area, and in support for Tracee Hutchison, the community independent candidate in the Nepean by-election.
Tracee was born in Rosebud hospital and one of her many goals is to see the hospital rebuilt. The next closest hospital, Frankston, is simply too far for people to travel, especially seniors.
Tracee cares about the environment and is present at many community events. She speaks up for the disadvantaged and the homeless in our community and last year was vocal in her support for funding for the Arts.
She will challenge government decisions when necessary including a strong objection to the proposal to approve a $25m commercially operated theme park at Arthur’s Seat, in spite of 418 submissions and the objection of the council.
In Tracee‘s words:
“A publicly owned State Park belongs to the people, not a commercial business of that scale and it is wrong, because the Allen government chose to ignore us”.
Tracee is a local – she knows our community and she knows this beautiful place, Nepean, that we call home. She was born here and she’s passionate about the area. As it says on her flyer: “Tracee is local, honest, independent”!
Pam Pitts, Rye
Independents effective?
With the election last year of a record number of independents to federal parliament, I have been watching with interest as much as possible of question time, to see just how effective they could be for constituents in their electorates.
There has been a huge difference between true independents such as Rebecca Sharky (Mayo, SA) and Wilkie (Clark, Tas) and the Greens/Teals/Climate 200 group.
While Sharky asks about housing/cost of living/and the rumoured closing of a defence facility in her electorate and Wilkie asks about the Hobart Stadium/Tasmanian ferry/housing, the remaining mainly Climate 200 group asked about Israel/Trump/climate change.
So what about now with diesel over $3.10 litre? Sharky joined with the Liberals to call for a freeze on the 44c/litre petrol levy, Wilkie asked about bunker fuel that was needed for shipping and the climate 200/greens/teals group? They went on mass to the Ministers office and demanded an end to the diesel fuel rebate for primary producers and transport companies. Yep. Demanding that diesel be dearer by 50c/litre for farmers and truckies.
Something to think about at the next election.
M. G. Free, Mt Martha
McKenzie’s travels
I read with fascination of Flinders MP Zoe McKenzies’ latest overseas excursions (Flinders MP details second European trip for 2026, The News 24/3/26). The most recent was her seventh since taking over from the Liberal Party’s Greg Hunt, whose tenure was characterised by his failure to do anything much at all for Mornington Peninsula whilst preoccupied with his unapologetic quest for power.
Fascination turned to scepticism and disbelief as I went on to read that McKenzie was significantly funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), intimately associated with the right wing Christian Democratic Union of Germany, which has a strong interest in cutting back on social welfare funding and frequently aligning with far right votes in parliament.
Zoe also attended an event subsidised by the Meliore Foundation, a philanthropic organisation which supports and encourages programs which educate and encourage fact based discourse at all levels.
Hopefully this involvement will educate her to realise that climate change is not “crap”, as asserted by Liberal Tony Abbott, and that this realisation is further reinforced by her new found expertise in relation to alternative energy programs following her time studying offshore wind projects in Denmark.
At a time of catastrophic climate change related events world-wide, her shift to strong and committed advocacy for climate change amelioration and support for alternative energy solutions would be most welcome.
Can we in future expect to see Zoe McKenzie finally doing something of value for the seat of Flinders as the coalition continues to implode whilst gazing at its navel?
I would also very much appreciate a full disclosure of the cost to taxpayers of all this travel, complete with a cost/benefit analysis. Good luck with that!
John Adamson, Rye
Editor’s note: The article stated that there was zero cost to taxpayers.
Games cancelled
Howard Hutchins enjoyed the Facebook reel produced by Liberal Opposition Leader, Jess Wilson and her fellow MPs who played dress-ups mocking the cancelled Commonwealth Games bid (Well done Jess, Letters 24/3/26).
He felt this would be successful because it heeded Moliere’s advice of laughing at people by making them appear ridiculous.
Arguably, it made “young Jess and Co” look, if not ridiculous, at least flippant.
As the current Member for Kew, Wilson would do better to look back at the successful style of a former Liberal Member for Kew, and Premier, Dick Hamer.
Hamer expanded national parks and shifted the Victorian Liberal Party in a moderate, reformist direction, embracing environmentalism and social reform.
Wilson could show similar leadership in her Party by closing logging loopholes, supporting strong emissions targets, and understanding Treaty.
Moliere also said, “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” Slow down, Jess, forget the 10-second video clips and start doing the hard work of serious policy rather than easy politics.
Yvonne Parker, Portarlington
Ambulance coverage
Regarding the lack of timely ambulance coverage to certain parts of the peninsula (Claims defibrillators plug ambulance response time gaps disputed, The News 17/3/26), why not get a get a group of locals to train up as volunteer casual first aid responders in conjunction with Ambulance Victoria and request that a vehicle be stationed in the area for their use.
This system operates in other areas of the state and is effective.
The volunteers need to be available and have a pager (supplied) that alerts them to a call out. A roster is an effective way of ensuring availability 24/7.
Time is often critical and the call out is usually backed up by an AV crew who may be another twenty minutes or more away.
The volunteer system has advantages like local knowledge of roads.
I was involved with the former South Eastern Ambulance Service in Gippsland which used this system effectively and it is still operating under the consolidated Ambulance network.
Lee Chapman, Safety Beach
Jewish support
I’m a bit behind these days… Make that a lot behind… So I’m only now reading the 27 January letters from Marg D’Arcy and Joe Lenzo.
Ms D’Arcy enumerates the money that the Labor government has given the Jewish community and points out it is a “fairly substantive amount of money for a small group” (Action on Antisemitism, Letters 27/1/26).
Mr Lenzo wonders whether the Bondi massacre was, in fact, preventable (Tragedy not preventable, Letters 27/1/26).
The one answers the other.
Almost all of the grant money that Ms D’Arcy listed is earmarked for security.
So that is many millions of dollars to protect and further enhance the security of a tiny population of Australian citizens.
Surely that should stop all Australians in their tracks? Why does such a tiny community need so much protection?
It’s because the Jewish community in Australia is the target of far more threats and violence than any other religious community in Australia.
If Mr Lenzo attended any Jewish event in Melbourne, he would see the resources that VicPol provides to protect these events. Whether it is beachside religious holiday celebrations or weekly services at synagogue, VicPol augments the security provided by private firms and the volunteer Jewish security group.
It seems that NSW Police do not provide the same level of support to Jewish community events in Sydney. As a Victorian, I was gobsmacked to learn that just 3 police officers were deployed to the Bondi Chanukah event.
So the question – in my mind at least – is whether the Bondi massacre would have occurred if NSW police staffing matched Vic police staffing. Could the deaths of 15 people have been prevented?
Finally, it seems very petty for Ms D’Arcy to include in her list the grant given to a Jewish congregation to help replace items that were destroyed as a result of extreme violence.
Bianca Felix, Bittern
Fuelling debate
I imagine that electric car owners are driving around in smug mode at the moment as those of us driving fossil fuel cars are coping with mayhem caused by Donald Trumps ill-advised “excursion” into Iran.
That said the oil shutdown in the Middle-East can, at this point in time, have had very little material impact to fuel supply in Australia yet we are seeing price increases of 60% in past weeks along with service stations being out of fuel entirely.
There can be no reasonable justification for this other than price gouging and opportunism by the oil industry and unfortunately consumers panic buying are their own worst enemies.
The government response, sadly typical with this current government, has been tepid at best trying to offend nobody, particularly the orange fool but succeeding in offending everyone with their lack of action.
At least one group is smiling, electric car retails are being run off their feet by potential customers, at bright spot in a dismal scenario.
Ross Hudson, Mt Martha
Tree canopy protection
In this day and age, and given that 64 per cent of submissions opposed the proposal, it is disappointing that the public land between Woodbyne Crescent and Racecourse Road will be sold for development (Council to sell off reserve walkway for housing, The News 24/3/26).
The developer, however, will be required to provide equivalent “open space in Woodbyne Crescent” and the public land area (1.6 hectares) equates to roughly four or five housing blocks.
A simple look at Google Earth shows the public land sits in the last corner of a larger block now mostly built out. The Shire’s planning document Our Urban Forest 2024–2034 acknowledges that, “Ongoing urban development through subdivision and development or extension of existing dwellings often leads to the loss of existing trees, trees that mature to a smaller height, and decreased opportunities to establish meaningful landscaping and planting of large canopy trees.”
Approximately 70 per cent of the Mornington Peninsula’s original native vegetation has already been cleared. Given the continuing pace of development, council officers should urgently identify and protect the significant trees on the remaining blocks in this area.
Any new “open space” must include substantial planting, and developments should be required to restore the existing canopy cover on developed blocks. Otherwise, from an environmental perspective, we are going backwards.
Sarah Brennan, Hawthorn
Who speaks for the trees?
Trees… magnificent trees!
We need some at Dromana Hub plees.
Grasses? We sure have a lot.
They help not a bit when it’s hot –
They don’t eat CO2
Or shade cars and you
They don’t soften the square
Of that big brown affair.
Trees… glorious trees!
Plant us some at Dromana Hub plees.
Paula Polson, Dromana
Appeal thanks
The Southern Peninsula Food For All wishes to thank all individuals and businesses for their generosity and whose donations and efforts helped make its Christmas Appeal was a real success, raising a total of $38,899.
The charity was able to distribute over 400 Christmas food hampers to the needy and also new toys to over 460 children in our community over the festive season.
Food For All is a volunteer non-profit organisation formed in 1991 to meet the need for emergency food relief at the time. It is administered by a committee of members from churches and community groups.
President Alan Hawkins said that the members always made that extra effort at Christmas and that the Peninsula Toy Run was again a very enjoyable and successful day for all involved.
The generosity of the Peninsula Aero Club in donating a large number of toys, received as part of entry fees from their December air show, was also much appreciated.
Southern Peninsula Food For All
Community let down yet again
By Simon Brooks
I RAN for Mornington Peninsula Shire council 10 years ago to advocate for better planning and spent six years as a councillor finishing in 2024 as mayor. Better planning to me means localised urban design supporting good local development outcomes for residents, businesses and public spaces. It also means sustainable management of our unique green wedge and our significant natural assets. Good planning helps prioritise infrastructure and services for our community and to cater for the millions of people who visit each year.
It is disappointing that the Mornington Peninsula Shire has struggled to undertake the strategic planning necessary to best manage competing land uses and establish planning “guard rails” to dovetail with state government planning and protect community interests as population growth places increasing demand on public assets and resources. In my experience, this unwillingness to develop a strategic land use plan is due to a combination of the shire’s allocation of resources, changing priorities, internal agenda and external influences, overlayed with a lack of focus and discipline and at times a troubled relationship with the state government.
Such shortcomings are amplified by the barriers and decisions made and perpetuated by the state government and its agencies which often appear at odds with good planning principles.
In my home town of Dromana-Safety Beach, we have had significant population growth and private development over the past twenty years with few infrastructure upgrades or strategic planning initiatives to cater for, and guide this growth.
With the exception of the Dromana Pier replacement, larger developments have largely been by the private sector. A good example of this has been the Richies IGA and broader shopping centre development. A poor example has been the VCAT approval to redevelop the BP service station into a larger facility along with a drive-through fast food outlet without requiring any real upgrade of the already inadequate surrounding traffic infrastructure. Better urban planning may have identified a better site for this type of enterprise and flagged the existing site as being unsuitable well in advance of the proposal.
This leads me to the latest example of a significant development fast-tracked by the state government. The Arthurs Seat Eagle cable car upgrade which has been approved by the state government under a variation to its 50 year lease of public land in the Arthur’s Seat State Park.
A business needs to be profitable, however a business with the privilege of operating on Crown land in such a significant place needs to do so with careful guardrails in place. These guardrails should be set by the state and recognise any management plan for the precinct set by the shire. Despite budget funding being allocated in the past to develop a management plan for the area, the Mornington Peninsula Shire has so far failed to do so, contributing to a lack of consideration or weighting of a variety of environmental and amenity issues in the permit approval process as should occur under the Planning and Environment Act.
Central to this is a concept called “net community benefit”. The state government is required to look at this as a core value when appraising private developments on public land. Net community benefit analysis would look at how you might incorporate public space into a private development; for example incorporating the century-old public walking track under the cable towers rather than excluding public access as has been done. The development’s luge element under the line of the cable chair towers effectively prevents this by excluding public access under the cable towers. It didn’t have to do this; shared access could have been negotiated and risks/liabilities shared.
Assessing development proposals using this lens seeks to provide a win-win outcome for all, accommodating broader community value while supporting viable business opportunities.
In my opinion, net community benefit has not been given adequate consideration, nor have other government policies designed to provide development approval guardrails to get the balance right. These have been publicly flagged by others including shire planning officers.
Adherence to these policies is even more important when a significant development goes direct to the Planning Minister for a decision; more so in this case given the fact that our own elected Mornington Peninsula Shire Council forwent the opportunity to take any position on the development proposal; in effect providing a tacit unconditional approval.
One other key element which the Planning Minister appears to have given little consideration to is the Ministerial Direction 22 which discourages development in identified high risk areas due to impacts of climate change; including landslip hazards and fire. The steep slopes of the escarpment are classified high fire risk. I fought the 1997 fire with CFA colleagues as it charged up the hill in seven minutes. In an emergency, evacuating the luge as well as the cable car will add complexity and time.
Many lamented the loss of the iconic chairlift and its importance to Dromana and the peninsula. Carrying on the legacy, The Eagle is privileged to be able to operate in such an amazing location on public land, and most wish the operation success. However, there must be a tangible net community benefit as stipulated under the State Planning Policy Framework. If the Planning Minister did consider net community benefit as an element of the development, I would argue that this was given cursory regard.
Poor processes with little accountability continue to erode public trust in government at all levels; something that we really need to be building in order to meet the current social, economic and environmental challenges.
