HASTINGS MP Neale Burgess has ridiculed speculation the Port of Hastings could be privatised, labelling any plans that pre-empt the outcome of a $110 million state government planning study as “a nasty joke”. While refusing to rule out potential future privatisation, Mr Burgess said it was ridiculous to speculate on possible financing models when feasibility studies into the viability of the project were yet to be completed. A report in the 18 January edition of The Age newspaper suggested the state government was “actively considering” privatising the ports of Melbourne and Hastings to raise up to $8 billion. The state…
Author: Chris Brennan
LEADING Senior Constable Mick Mears is no stranger to receiving accolades and awards for his decades of work as a youth resource officer with Victoria Police. But this still didn’t prepare him for the “shock” of being named Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 2014 Citizen of the Year on Australia Day at Rosebud. The 67-year-old veteran police officer is now into his 44th year with the force and has been based at Mornington since 1980 where he has dedicated himself to working with peninsula schools and young people. Affectionately known as Constable Mick, the former army reserve drummer has earned much praise…
NEW restrictions on walking dogs in Mornington Peninsula National Park are now in force, with pet owners warned they face hefty fines for breaches. Dogs are prohibited at all times along an additional seven kilometres of coastline between Portsea and Flinders and can only be walked on leashes between sunrise and 9am within a limited number of signposted areas in the national park. Areas where early morning on-leash walking is permitted include a 14km section of coast between Sorrento and Rye, and signposted areas at Portsea surf beach, St Andrews beach and Flinders ocean beach. There are a number of…
POLICE divers conducted a final search last week for the body of a New Zealand student who disappeared in rough surf off rocks near Blairgowrie after he had jumped in to rescue a friend a week earlier. Divers conducted an extensive search of the rocky coastline at Pearses Beach last Wednesday but were unable to find the 20-year-old man’s body. Underwater search efforts – following the Melbourne University student’s disappearance on Wednesday 6 November – have been hampered by poor weather and rough seas. Police search and rescue officials said no further dive operations were planned in the area at…
FRANKSTON Hospital has been revealed as among the state’s worst-performing emergency departments, failing to meet the majority of targets set by the state government for timely treatment of patients. Victorian hospital annual reports tabled recently in state parliament show nearly all emergency departments struggled to transfer patients from ambulances within specified time frames over the past financial year. Frankston Hospital, which is operated by Peninsula Health, was able to transfer patients from ambulances within the required 40-minute time frame just 56 per cent of the time – well short of the target of 90 per cent set by the state…
CRIME on the Mornington Peninsula decreased slightly over the past 12 months, despite an almost 24 per cent rise in the number of rapes reported and a 51 per cent jump in sex offences. Also of concern was a 43 per cent surge in serious drug offences such as trafficking and manufacturing. Growing use of methamphetamine (also known as ice) was highlighted as the most significant drug issue. The latest Victoria Police statistics for the year to 30 June show the total number of crimes recorded on the peninsula fell 0.1 per cent from the previous year, compared to a…
POLICE are hunting a man and woman over the theft of a “much-loved family pet” from outside a home in Hargreaves St, Mornington, last week. Bailey, a small, white shih-tzu cross, was let out from the front yard of his home by his owners about 2.30pm on Monday and disappeared a short time later. Witnesses reported seeing a man and woman park their vehicles at either end of Hargreaves St in order to catch the frightened pet. “They were seen chasing the dog up and down the street until it was picked up by a passer-by, who then handed it…
A DISASTER was narrowly averted after a heavy street light plunged more than 10 metres onto High St Hastings in the midst of busy late-morning trade last week. The light fitting broke off a 10-metre pole in high winds at about 11.30am on Monday, crashing to the roadway outside the ANZ Bank at the corner of King St. Staff members at a nearby business said it was only good luck that saved someone being seriously injured or killed. “It just came crashing down all of a sudden. There was a loud smash; it sounded like a car accident,” said an…
FAKE social media reports have sparked public panic over a supposed organised dog abduction ring targeting pets around Frankston and the peninsula. Police have moved to allay fears that beloved pets were being stolen from Frankston and peninsula homes to be used in, or as bait for, illegal dog fights, as reported in widely circulated Facebook postings. “It’s all fake. It’s simply not happening,” a Victoria Police spokesman said. “We have investigated this thoroughly and can confirm there’s absolutely no substance to the reports.” Police have been swamped with reported sightings of a White Toyota ute and other “suspicious activities”…
THE arrival of larger-than-life mining billionaire Professor Clive Palmer to the federal election stage brought much mirth from “serious” political pundits. His drive for the Lodge was labelled the most audacious since Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s ill-fated push in 1987. But the Mineralogy executive chairman and officially declared National Living Treasure has made a habit of gaining far greater traction with the general public than allegedly better credentialed experts. And as Kevin Rudd’s defiant return to the top demonstrated only too clearly, those with the temerity to ignore the better judgement of the faceless men and political commentariat may actually get to…
PROPOSED boundary amendments to the state electoral district of Frankston could seriously imperil Geoff Shaw’s re-election prospects, despite the former Liberal and now independent MP welcoming the potential changes. The Frankston MP applauded the Victorian Electoral Boundaries Commission announcement last week proposing Frankston North be included in his electorate, despite the area being a Labor stronghold and his own seat being highly marginal. The EBC is calling for public suggestions and objections to its proposed redivision of electoral boundaries, which will affect the vast majority of electorates in Victoria. But Mr Shaw said he was more than happy with the…