Whoever wins Nepean battle will have a profound responsibility
In these final days before the election of a new Member for Nepean, much has been made of the infighting, the public disagreements, and at times, the overbearing tone adopted by some candidates. Elections, by their nature, are robust affairs. Differences are aired, positions tested, and personalities revealed.
Yet beyond the noise and the spectacle, there remains a simple and enduring truth: the role being contested is one of profound responsibility.
Whoever is elected will not merely hold a title, but also bear the trust of a community.
The Nepean Peninsula is not an abstract concept or a political stepping stone; it is home to families, small businesses, retirees, and young people looking toward their future. It deserves representation grounded not in ego or point-scoring, but in genuine commitment.
It therefore behoves the successful candidate to rise above the campaign’s tone once the ballots are counted. The task ahead will require cooperation, respect, and a willingness to listen as much as to speak. It will demand attention to local concerns, thoughtful advocacy, and a steady focus on outcomes that benefit the peninsula as a whole.
In the end, the measure of leadership will not be found in the final days of campaigning, but in the years that follow.
Anne Kruger, Rye
Road to ruin
The juxtaposition of “Dobbin won – and the motor car fails” (100 Years Ago This Week, The News 21/4/26) with readers’ calls to fix potholes on the Mornington Peninsula was timely. While poor road quality a century ago did not cause Tom Merrick’s accident in his new “motor lorry”, it is true that regional roads have taken a beating in recent decades.
Some blame state and local governments, but The Australia Institute notes that climate-related costs to councils – repairing roads, drainage, parks and community facilities after floods, storms and fires – are rising far faster than revenue. It finds insured disaster costs are now about twelve times higher than 20 years ago, while local government revenue has only tripled over the same period.
In its 2024 submission to the National Adaptation Plan, the Australian Local Government Association reported that councils maintain about 75 per cent of Australia’s road network, stating: “Without appropriate funding, more frequent and intense climate events will increase local government’s road infrastructure backlog.”
That appears to be what is occurring. Properly taxing gas exports is one way to help fund climate-related infrastructure damage. Taxpayers and ratepayers alone should not carry the can.
John Godfrey, Cape Paterson
Consultation?
I would like to add to Joe Lenzo’s excellent letter on consultation (Consultation, Letters 14/4/26).
In Dromana recent years have shown many examples of how not to do it, by the shire and Parks Victoria.
Several years ago Parks sought a public choice of pier design from a few offered. I believe we chose one with concentric lower circles at the end, (which was to be completed by 2024!) In 2025 we were informed we had chosen the T shaped one, to be completed with “real wooden sleepers” by end 2026. However the flimsy-looking poles are up and it seems we are getting an L not a T.
I have long suspected the shire wastes much of our rates on unused research, consultants and consultations ignored, lengthy glossy reports and plans not followed.
The Our Urban Forest document is 46 smart pages about the need to increase tree canopy. Yet mature shady trees are being allowed to disappear faster than developers can say “cash!” Five notable trees have been axed within a 5 minute walk from my house in the past few months.
In recent years the Shire engaged a consulting group regarding the plan for Dromana Township. Community consultations yielded that new buildings in the heart of Dromana should reflect the coastal character, preferably be light colours and natural materials and have rooflines reminiscent of beach box shapes (as do the old Dromana Hub shops). Instead the new Dromana Hub, like the new medical centre is dark brown, boxy and flat roofed, and would suit Doncaster far better.
“Design excellence” was mentioned in the lengthy plan, with Pier Street the central area. Now as we turn from Pier Street into the car park, we have a large green high voltage box set in a few square meters of bare gravel on the left and a smaller one on the right, with not even an attempt to disguise them.
What is the point of consulting the public and expensive consulting firms, then ignoring their suggestions? And all at the rate-payers expense.
Paula Polson, Dromana
Wasted resources
The increased waste levies will suck another $12.4m from peninsula ratepayers, on top of their rates bill. (Ratepayers foot the bill for public waste costs, The News 21/4/26).
Council seems unable to understand that we pay our rates in exchange for services like waste and other necessities. Otherwise, what are we paying our rates for?
The state government imposed a rates increase cap on councils some time ago in order to both force councils to operate within their means and to try to reign in spiralling expenditures and rates by little council fiefdoms with delusions of grandeur.
It is dishonest to the ratepayers for a council to increase rates de facto by another means. As usual, the council is treating ratepayers as just a dumb milking cow.
Why not first prune all of the dead wood from councils. Some of the costs of contracted structures are mind boggling. Seemingly gold plated toilet blocks. Planning decisions like three homes now built on one block, causing nature strips to be crowded with illegally parked cars, caravans, boats, trailers, sometimes causing danger, because the owners have no choice. Duh! Didn’t anyone think of that.
Don’t fine the residents for illegal parking, fine the council for forcing them to do it.
Personally, I have found that the horse and buggy days have ended. We don’t need councils anymore, certainly not in the metropolitan areas. We could be saving billions.
Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Draft budget blame?
The proposed draft budget for next year is contemplating to slug most of us rate payers an extra $137 to balance the books. That’s on top of the 2.75% increase of our rates from last year.
Of course I hope you all remember when voting for Nepean that one of the candidates used to be mayor of our beautiful Peninsula, and must have had a hand in forming the budget, before discovering his Liberal Party enlightenment.
If successful, should we be worried about this tendencies?
Rupert Steiner, Balnarring Beach
Climate survey
One of the most important things we can do as citizens is to use our vote wisely, to drive change on the issues that matter most to us.
The Peninsula Climate Alliance (PCA) was forged exactly one year ago, in response to the shire’s decision to rescind their Climate Plan.
The Alliance of 25 local volunteer community groups represents thousands of members, with a common passion for practical work that helps the health of the peninsula’s environment, under threat from many pressures. One of the biggest threats is climate change that is increasingly adversely affecting the health of people, animals, and plants alike.
With a state by-election looming, the PCA sought the candidates’ views and priorities on a range of topics including climate change policy, biodiversity, green wedge and development in sensitive zones.
Responses were received from the Liberal, Green, Libertarian and Independent candidates, ranging from a glib two sentence reply to some deeply considered, detailed responses. One Nation and several others did not reply at all.
The PCA invites readers to view the candidates’ responses to these questions, and draw your own conclusions about how they plan to act on local environmental issues if elected to represent us in state parliament.
With the eyes of all Victorians on Nepean, the PCA believes this is a timely chance for voters to make their environmental concerns and priorities heard at the ballot box.
Quote from Greg Holland, PCA Chair: “The choice is clear, a vote for a representative that will fight to protect our iconic environment and press for emissions reduction is a vote for our future.”
Read the candidates’ own words on the PCA website at: peninsulaclimatealliance.org
Deborah Coffey, Red Hill
Pauline heckler
I am the woman who “heckled” Pauline Hanson. Passing by, saw the orange balloons, had a squiz just as she arrived. I took the chance to tell her how despicable she is.
Despicable, because she creates hate and division by spreading misinformation about First Nations, migration and climate change to her supporters.
In 13 years in Parliament while claiming to be a champion of ordinary people, she has not achieved one change to help the people who support her.
She has voted against bills to help with the cost of living, such as affordable housing and protection of workers rights.
Her policies include rejecting renewables, adding to the catastrophe of climate change, abolishing the TGA our safeguard for effective medications and reviewing the PBS, which allows ordinary people the medications they need.
As a leader she is paid $300,000 a year and yet often does not turn up to Parliament when it is sitting or participate in Senate hearings.
Her candidate in Nepean has admitted “I don’t have the figures” in relation to rebuilding Rosebud Hospital.
Anthony Marsh and Darren Hercus have both said their intention is to get rid of Labor. How then can they work with the current government to advocate for the voters of Nepean? That’s why we need a real community independent in the person of Tracee Hutchison.
Marg D’Arcy, Rye
I smell an election
Fascinating reading the letters column(s) in The News last week. I find the range of advice offered by residents of the peninsula and those peninsula experts resident in Kew and Hawthorn quite amusing.
They range from (shock horror) One Nation being permitted to have a launch at the Rosebud Football & Netball Club, to totally opposing views of Anthony Marsh’s tenure as Mayor.
Just maybe the Rosebud FNC hired the hall to One Nation, and received valuable funds from the letting. What is the evidence to say the club “hosted” the event?
The vitriol of some correspondents is quite illuminating. “I could never vote Liberal again” (after Jeff Kennett sold off the electricity assets). That was done to pay off a large junk of the debt built up by Labor. Whoops, they’ve done it again, with debt this time closing in on $200b.
The distortion of the Liberal Party’s stance on immigration is quite disturbing. To say Angus Taylor wants us to be suspicious of migrants like the man at Rosebud Hospital is complete and utter nonsense. I am a migrant of long standing. Why is it that any attempt to initiate a discussion on immigration policy is instantly turned into racism by those on the left?
Let’s hope the Victorian Electoral Commission can get the numbers together a bit quicker than the Croweaters.
Jack Wheeler, Mornington
Status quo
The election on 2 May is very important to everyone who is in the Nepean state electorate, as there are many people very concerned with a range of issues affecting them now.
The Labor Party is not even contesting this election, which is to select a person to be our representative in the Victorian parliament from now until the state election in November. It is not about anything else.
Until recently the person with that responsibility has been a Liberal Party member; and they have been very effective in parliament on our behalf.
The most effective person to be the new Member for Nepean would be the Liberal candidate on 2 May.
The idea that voters should “upset the applecart” by their votes is not capable of improving our lives here; because only the strong opposition party in the state parliament now could do that.
William Whipp, Sorrento
Who do you believe?
I continue to be amazed at the misinformation and spin which is reportedly being stated by Anthony Marsh, the still wet from hatching born again Liberal. In your last edition (Parties bring out the big guns as pre-poll open approaches, The News 21/4/26) when asked about roads and potholes, he apparently says, “For too long residents in Nepean have been taken for granted and only a Wilson Liberal and Nationals Government can deliver the funding and action needed to fix our local roads.” Are you joking?
Have a look at the map of the Mornington Peninsula Shire – the bulk of the roads are council responsibility. (Maps delineating state and federal arterial roads from all the others under the Mornington Peninsula Council are available from the shire) The state and federal governments give regular top up grants to councils for road maintenance and upgrades that are mapped as council responsibility. This is in addition to money for this purpose that council gathers in rates. As the Local Government Act says “Roads, Rats, Rates and Rubbish” are the legal responsibility of councils.
Marsh has been a councillor and mayor for long enough to know this, under different political parties as our local MPs and in state government. What was he doing about the state of the roads and potholes then? Why would we believe him now? As for the red headed lady from Queensland and her flying visit – what would she know about Rosebud Hospital? More spin and misinformation. My vote goes to Tracee Hutchison. At least you can believe what she says.
Esther Gleixner, Flinders
Reflections
The recent run of letters regarding Anthony Marsh presents a picture of a highly contested candidacy.
Across the correspondence, concerns about trust, consistency and political motivation appear frequently and form a dominant thread. Contributors question changes in position, alignment with party politics, for example citing council decision-making on financial and governance matters, including differences between earlier statements on rate increases and subsequent council decisions to adopt the maximum allowable increases, which is raised in the correspondence as a concern about consistency in approach, and aspects of decision-making during his time in local government, suggesting a broader pattern of scrutiny.
A number of contributions also focus more directly on governance and decision-making. These raise questions about how key decisions are reached, including instances cited in the correspondence where officer recommendations were not followed in significant planning and financial matters, prompting concerns about transparency and the weight given to expert advice.
Related issues include the level of community engagement in long-term financial planning, the assumptions underpinning projected savings, and the balance between short-term measures and long-term sustainability.
A smaller number of letters emphasise a different perspective, highlighting a focus on infrastructure, financial management and the ability to make difficult decisions. These claims are, however, also contested by other contributors.
Taken together, the correspondence suggests that questions of consistency, governance and the quality of decision-making are central to how many contributors are assessing the candidate’s record. Readers may wish to consider how well each of these arguments is supported by evidence.
Anja Ottensmeyer, Mt Martha
Confused?
I’m a little bit confused. After watching an AFLW game with my grandson and having no answer to his question of “how can ‘they’ be on the wing on their own?”.
I now have Ross Hudson (One Nation rise, Letters 21/4/26) lumping populist opinion in with xenophobia and anti-climate change nonsense.
To help Mr Hudson out, the word populist is derived from popular. In other words it is an opinion or statement that a majority of people agree with.
Mr Hudson uses two examples in Trump and Farage. Trump easily won the popular vote. Farage won the popular vote in the Brexit debate and is leading in all published polls.
Just like councillor Gill who always seems to be on the wrong side of the vote and Joe Lenzo always backing the losing independent candidate, perhaps it’s also Mr Hudson who is on the wrong side of the popular opinion.
M. G. Free, Mt Martha
Wrong brand name
The “Liberal” Party: allegedly “open, tolerant, reform-minded” needs a rebrand if it wants to outplay One Nation. A more honest label: FauxLiberal. “Progress in name. Regression in policy”. The word survived. The meaning didn’t.
Nationally, the change is obvious. A modern echo of the White Australia policy, remember the fast-tracked visas proposal for white South Africans, talk of deporting people in mass and no detail. Angus Taylor pushes Trump-style signals while ignoring that the 2022–23 migration surge was driven by Coalition-era settings. Blame shifted. Accountability dodged.
But locally, it’s worse because this is where trust should actually mean something. We’re seeing anonymous and misleading campaign material, authorised in a way that omits full disclosure. Flyers designed to look like something they’re not, aimed at confusing voters rather than informing them.
Candidates and community voices are calling it out. Tracee Hutchison has pointed to “lazy and dishonest attacks” that focus on personal smears instead of policy. One Nation’s Darren Hercus labelled the tactics desperate, highlighting the irony of a party warning about Labor while failing to hold it accountable for a decade.
And then come the promises. Rebuild Rosebud Hospital. Fix potholes. Address homelessness. Reduce crime. All worthy. All familiar. All still not done even though elected over and over the last decade. Or even when the Liberal candidate was the mayor since the last local election.
It’s not the words, it’s the track record for the last ten years. Words are cheep (sic).
This isn’t just about ideology or national positioning. It’s about local credibility. If a party won’t put its name clearly on a flyer, why should anyone trust the fine print on its promises?
A real choice isn’t between parties. It’s between spin and substance.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
A great night
Two weeks ago, we had the pleasure of rocking out Penni Ave Distillery in Rye with a stellar selection of locals bands: Annalise Marie, Tommy Woods, Girl Kitchen (biased, yes) and Benni Hedgers. Those who attended walking away with a strong appreciation for the wealth of talent and passion this little corner of the state has.
While sharing music and good food and drink, we also had music-lover and community independent Tracee Hutchison sharing some insight into her story and her motivation for running to represent us in parliament. Like the bands, she oozes passion and was thriving on the community spirit we conjured up that night.
As young people, we have felt a severe lack of good role models and honest politics in the driver’s seat, and it is extremely inspiring to see someone come through who would push for integrity and actually has the issues of youth at heart. Damn, we wish we were that cool.
Girl Kitchen, Rye
Renter protection
Our local member for Frankston has become the Minister for Consumer Affairs and is known as the “Minister for Renters”.
His office is currently assisting me with getting material on the new regulation on rooming house operators placing a fixed heater in a room.
The new regulation says only a heater needs to be fixed to a wall roof or a floor.
I am now at VCAT to what a fixed heater is and what a heater does and what the government intended in making this new regulation.
Of course VCAT is trying to say that a fixed heater is a portable heater and matters have been adjourned so the rooming house provider can have the towel heater installed be inspected by his equipment inspector to see if it conforms to the new regulation and is installed correctly which it is not.
The Peninsula Legal Centre Frankston is assisting me and are awaiting a report made by the inspecting officer.
There are over 300 rooming houses in Frankston and our local member Paul Edbrooke should do more to protect renters in his electorate of Frankston and should have the Consumer Affairs renter taskforce check to see if the new regulations are being adhered to as well as the old.
Russell Morse, Karingal
Labor have done it again
Mark Butler, our federal minister responsible for health and well-being has recently announced that the rebate given to people over sixty-five to encourage private health membership will be removed in the coming months, estimates indicate a $600 annual cost increase in health insurance. The government estimates 44,000 people will withdraw from private health and go into the public system.
Can you imagine the overcrowded cues that hospitals have and the difficulty they have in managing their emergency departments now, let alone coping with another 44,000 added to the waiting rooms of Australian hospitals.
Australia’s population over sixty-five is approximately 4.6 million, 3.6 million have various forms of private health coverage with the over eighty-five age in this group expected to reach 1.2 million during the next 4 years. The majority in this group rely on the government pension, which is barely enough to survive. The aged pension increases over the past year total an average of $12 or 3.5%, Butlers $600 will add 13% to the average cost of private healthcare and net about $18 million in savings or 0. 3% of the current NDIS expense.
In many cases if the total rebate is removed a middle cost private healthcare program could increase by 40%.
Recent reports say, Butlers’ own department staff suggested he look elsewhere to reduce the cost of $54b the NDIS is costing the taxpayer.
While one must remember that the NDIS is a wonderful and needed program for those that really need it, however, Labor’s, management and incompetency has led to a desperate and rushed approach to a much-needed cost savings program due to forthcoming local, state, and national elections.
Bruce White, Safety Beach
Over 55’s footy
A couple of photos of some older chaps taking the knocks at Alexander Park in the AFL Masters Over 55’s caught my attention and inspired my admiration.
AFL is a tough game for a young body let alone those not-so-young fellows playing earnestly and passionately in a sport they love!
“Good on ya’s” from me!!
Tori Potter, Flinders
Thanks for the support
The Mornington Lions Club would like to thank all our loyal and the new customers that attended our Annual Book Fair held in Mornington on April 18/19. Thank you for the donations and purchases of books, CD’s, DVD’s, Puzzles and supporting our BBQ trailer.
Our funds raised and activities conducted support the local community.
If you are thinking of supporting the community then think Mornington Lions Club!
Neil Bennie, Mornington Lions President
BarleyCharlie@90
April 25; Anzacs! From Karl Urban “Don’t give up. If you stand at the roulette table long enough your number will come up.” Pollywaffle?
Despite this, remain positive, even at ninety years of age, in between naps.
Politics; taxes and housing: Capital gains tax and negative gearing, not before time. Paul Keating’s piece on Angus Taylor is accurate enough, as in racism, but surely more than that?
Most of that lot products of The Melbourne Club. True, the occasional idealist (the common good; Fraser, Holt, Peacock and Turnbull) but Taylor clearly “Born To Rule”. Potentially worse than John Howard, who at least saw himself as a saviour, of sorts?
Richard Marles “confident” abut our invisible submarines; not in my lifetime.
Albanese’s support for at home program; there’s a catch somewhere; give it time? Our protector (Donald Trump) told us Iran had no more ships, so who is responsible for the Strait of Hormuz blockage?
Locally, our election 2 May, Tracee Hutchison first, Darren Hercus second last, Anthony Marsh last; sorry, just slipped it in?
Singing “It actually suppresses the stress hormones?” Donald Trump, entertainer, a comedic juggernaut, almost daily, classy, but (to quote) The Pope, “Iran can have nuclear weapons.” Twisted wording?
Flairs were bad enough, now skin tight jeans? Yuk! Anzac Day, again, thank our (your) lucky stars, and those departed. Mind how you go…
Cliff Ellen, Rye
