Author: Keith Platt

THE re-emergence of Matthew Guy as state Opposition Leader saw Mornington MP David Morris lose his position in the shadow cabinet and Eastern Victoria MP Edward O’Donohue bring forward his retirement from parliament. Mr Morris was the Coalition’s spokesperson for local government, housing and aged care and Mr O’Donohue – whose electorate includes Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula – had already signalled that he would not contest next year’s state election. A supporter of former leader Michael O’Brien (“you back your leader”), Mr Morris was one of 11 MPs who voted against the spill that saw Mr Guy appointed Opposition…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has put off making any decision on its preferred role of the Port of Hastings at least until mid-2022. Councillors decided at their 24 August meeting that there was no “legal obligation or urgency” for it to decide about the future use of the port. In doing so, they rejected advice from strategic planning manager Claire Dougall that the shire continue to oppose any dredging in Port Phillip to “accommodate” the state government’s planned container port at Bay West, near Geelong. As part of its existing opposition to the Bay West plan the shire has asked…

THE Voices of Mornington Peninsula group says any Australian Electoral Commission investigation into its financial sources would reveal an organisation “funded entirely by kind-hearted and frustrated locals who are disillusioned with party politics”. The response followed reports last week that federal Liberals had asked the AEC to make sure grassroots groups calling themselves “Voices for” or “Voices of” are obeying finance rules. “Is this a joke? A party that receives millions of dollars from corporate donors, including those in fossil fuel industries, is questioning a grassroots community organisation that values transparency and accountability,” VMP secretary Janelle Magee said. “Our democracy…

THE decision to drop saying a prayer before Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meetings was made despite 33 public submissions for it to be kept (plus a further 24 after the comment deadline) and 11 supporting a pledge suggested by Cr Anthony Marsh. Despite easily attracting the most feedback of any issue concerning the revised Governance Rules, in-house lawyer Amanda Sapolu told councillors “as a result of the community feedback, it is not considered that there are any changes required to be made to the substantive Governance Rules [which do not include the prayer]”. Ms Sapolu, who is the legal and…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has been praised, the state government “acknowledged” for its progress and the federal government criticised for its lack of action on climate change. The contrasting responses to the three levels of government were voiced last week (Tuesday 31 August) during an online climate forum organised by Mornington Peninsula Labor Environment Action Network (MP LEAN) – a “grassroots network of Labor members and supporters”. The forum was sponsored by Labor MP for Nepean Chris Brayne. Guest speakers included the mayor Cr Despi O ’Connor, Cr Sarah Race, Dr George Mihaly of Merricks winery Paradigm Hill, Stephen Todd of…

AFTER months of debate, meetings behind closed doors, advice from experts and calling for public comments, Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors are again facing delays in adopting rules under which the shire operates. The Governance Rules adopted at last Tuesday’s (24 August) meeting must again be voted on following a late night move by Cr Steve Holland. With just minutes to spare before the new Governance Rules would have come into force (11.59pm), Cr Steve Holland lodged a notice of motion to revoke them “entirely, including and all parts as they relate to this item [3.2]”. The meeting ended at 11.30pm.…

THE rift between some Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors shows no sign of abating, with disagreements spilling out of the council chamber and onto social media. In the wake of last Tuesday’s (24 August) online council meeting Cr Steve Holland went on Facebook saying that “council is controlled by an exclusionary voting block that refuses to consider important community issues on their merits”. “Caucusing and a complete disregard for public sentiment has become the norm.” He later told The News that it was “disappointing that such a toxic culture has emerged”. Cr Holland said councillors often attacked other councillors’ characters rather…

URBAN areas of the Mornington Peninsula are dotted with nature strips and small plots of public land. However, efforts to use some of this land for recreation, growing vegetables or even flowers, can turn into a bureaucratic minefield. Efforts last month to persuade Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors to back a group of Balnarring residents, the Elisabeth Park Project Group, to turn a slice of public land into a “community space” fell on deaf ears. No councillor spoke against the notice of motion proposed by Cr David Gill to help the residents near Elisabeth Street but, when it came to the…

IT would be fair to say that without COVID-19 Brett Sutton would be able to walk down the street unnoticed. That is not the case anymore. Never has a state’s chief medical officer been such a highly regarded, recognisable figure. His almost daily appearances on TV news bulletins alongside Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and references to his advice have made Professor Sutton a familiar figure (and voice) to anyone following the progress of the pandemic. St Andrews-based artist Vicki Sullivan was casting around for a subject to paint for this year’s Archibald Prize when a friend suggested Prof Sutton. “I…

TWO of the Mornington Peninsula’s most prominent environment groups fear changes to federal government regulations will have a punitive backlash on the type of actions they successfully used to stop AGL’s plans for a gas import terminal at Crib Point. Changes to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act give the charities commissioner, Gary Johns the power to shut down charities for breaching the Act or for suspecting that a breach might occur. Save Westernport’s secretary Julia Stockigt and the secretary of Westernport Peninsula Protection Council Sandra Milne have asked Flinders MP Greg Hunt “to do everything in your considerable…

AT LEAST six of Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 11 councillors have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, while another two are waiting for their age group to be cleared for the jab. In doing so, the councillors are backing up the shire’s online request for residents to “help stop the pandemic by getting a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you”. People and culture manager Kelly Gillies said the shire’s urging for vaccinations followed advice from the Chief Health Officer and supported the state government’s efforts to encourage community vaccination. There was no requirement for staff – many of whom interact…

IN WHAT is regarded as a landmark finding, the Victorian Supreme Court has ruled that beach box owners on the Mornington Peninsula must pay waste disposal charges. The decision handed down by the court last week after two years’ deliberation is likely to affect various other charges levied by municipalities throughout Victoria. The Mornington Peninsula Beach Owners Association launched legal action against Mornington Peninsula Shire Council three years ago in a bid to avoid paying the annual waste charge. Unlike households, the beach boxes do not have bins that are left to be emptied weekly at the kerbside but, following…

BEING labelled the worst mayor in Australia was a compliment, according to Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor and former mayor David Gill. He says the accusation was levelled after the 2019 federal election by Flinders MP Greg Hunt, during a meeting at the shire’s Rosebud headquarters attended by “20 to 30 people, including councillors, senior officers and some of his [Mr Hunt’s] people”. Cr Gill has since had no hesitation in repeating the Mr Hunt’s claim, and in fact counts it as a compliment and acknowledgment “that I had been doing my job”. He believes Mr Hunt dubbed him Australia’s worst…

SUBMARINES are designed to stay out of sight, but there is no way to hide the rusting hull of the Oberon class submarine Otama anchored off Crib Point. Having already missed one Parks Victoria order to move, the submarine lies tethered to four equally rusting anchor chains awaiting it fate off Crib Point. Politicians and the public are being encouraged to get involved in the ongoing wrangle over the Otama’s future. Two petitions have been lodged with the Legislative Council to be signed by the public and weighed for action by politicians. One petition lodged last month by the Western…

FEDERAL and state departments are being asked to reconsider earlier “informal” advice to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council officers that details of foreign ownership of land on the peninsula cannot be disclosed. The shire’s request for land ownership details also includes a suggestion that the state and federal governments consider establishing a database of foreign owned land. Chief financial officer Bulent Oz said the initial request for foreign owned land details in January had been “denied on the basis of sensitivity”. The information had been sought in case a notice of motion lodged by Cr David for discussion at the 27…

THE Bass Park Trust met last Thursday (29 July) but did not invite Mornington Peninsula Shire’s nominated representative, Cr Anthony Marsh. The online Zoom meeting was, however, attended by Cr David Gill, as he has done for the past four and a half years. Cr Marsh, a Briars Ward councillor (Mount Eliza, Mornington and Mount Martha), successfully nominated himself for the position in June, saying it was “important all councillors are active all over the municipality”. Cr Gill, whose Red Hill Ward includes Flinders Golf Course which is on land managed by the Bass Park Trust, told The News that…

MONEY and planning are behind the latest motivations to reassess the status of the Mornington Peninsula. Officially designated as part of metropolitan Melbourne, the peninsula is regarded as being regional when it comes to some services, such as fire protection from the Country Fire Authority. This split identification can also mean that Mornington Peninsula Shire is prohibited from applying for some federal and state government grants. However, if the shire is officially regarded as regional, it would lose the protection of green wedge planning restrictions. The solution being sought by the shire is for the peninsula to go half way…

DESPITE facing community calls for his appointment to be reversed, Cr Anthony Marsh was “excited” to inform his Mornington Peninsula Shire Council colleagues that his application to join the Bass Park trust “has progressed”. The minutes of the council’s Tuesday 13 July meeting state that Cr Marsh “is hoping at the [27 July] council meeting to be able to advise that the appointment has been ratified”. Cr Marsh successfully nominated himself for the position on the trust held by Cr David Gill for the past four and a half years (“Trust says ‘no’ to council’s chosen delegate” The News 15/6/21).…

THE centre of control for Victoria’s commercial ports, including Hastings, has moved from Melbourne to Geelong. The Port of Hastings’ harbourmaster Captain Shane Vedamuttu will remain based at Crib Point. The newly-formed Ports Victoria combines the Victorian Regional Channels Authority (VRCA) and Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne) and will control the strategic management and operation of the state’s commercial ports and waterways. The change follows an independent review of the ports system which included 60 recommendations and was handed to the state government in November 2020. The management move to Geelong comes four years after the Victorian Regional Channels Authority took…

THE state and federal governments are being asked to consider establishing a database of land in Australia that is owned by overseas interests. The suggestion by Mornington Peninsula Shire is part of a request for information of foreign ownership of land on the peninsula, particularly in the green wedge and special use zones. Cr David Gill said he believed Australians had “a right to know about foreign ownership of our country”. “We have a right to know about land banking by foreign identities, especially by developers pushing to rezone and subdivide,” he said. “We should also know about lobby groups…

HAVING a federal government representative who is independent of the major political parties is seen as the key to bringing benefits to the Mornington Peninsula by the fledgling Voices of Mornington Peninsula. Launched in June, the group says the “mismanagement” of the COVID-19 crisis, including the vaccine rollout, has brought the federal government to “a critical point”. “As community angst about yet another lockdown and national concerns over rorts and other issues rise, Voices of Mornington Peninsula – a – is driving a movement to bring core values back into the democratic process by engaging locals in the political process,”…

FORMER Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Hugh Fraser has weighed into the accusations from sides sparked by Cr David Gill tracking Nepean MP Chris Brayne as he “meets and greets” at shopping centre. Mr Fraser provided a photograph which he says proves that contrary to what Cr Gill claims, Mr Brayne does have group meetings with councillors. He said it was “silly nonsense” for Cr Gill to allege Mr Brayne would not meet with the whole council. “It’s time these dysfunctional allegations are put to one side and responsible persons get on with making the shire a better place to live…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has been told that its delay in releasing a planning report had jeopardised the legally required role of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). VCAT member Michael Deidun said it took three requests “and a pointed reminder of the tribunal’s powers” before he was given the requested document. “The intent of the council to not release the panel report until the business day after the scheduled final day of the [seven-day] hearing, coupled with its request that it be able to make further written submissions after that time, would have the potential to cause a delay…

Council chooses to be run without a pledge or a prayer MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is set to drop the reading of a prayer or pledge before future public council meetings. A template for future agendas in a draft of proposed changes to rules under which the council operates makes no provision for any declaration. The draft was adopted by council on 18 May and exhibited for public comment on 25 May, along with a news release stating “in particular council seeks your input in relation to the [the removal from the agenda of the] prayer”. While the council wants…

UNDEMOCRATIC, manifestly inadequate, vague, ambiguous and absurdly long [time for lodging notices of motion] are just some of the words by former councillor Hugh Fraser to describe proposed changes to rules under which Mornington Peninsula Shire operates. Mr Fraser’s detailed critique of parts of the draft Governance Rules is made in one of the submissions now being collated by shire officers. Councillors will be briefed on the feedback from the public to the proposed changes on 3 August, and the Governance Rules will then be listed for discussion at the council’s 24 August public meeting. Mr Fraser’s main objections to…

Politicians are used to debating, but rarely do their sparring words spill over into the public realm as much as those traded last week by Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor David Gill and Nepean MP Chris Brayne. Mr Brayne, by his own admission was a surprising winner for Labor in the 2018 state election, has accused Cr Gill of harassing him and “acting like a juvenile”. Cr Gill says he has “every right” to follow Mr Brayne from town to town as he “meets and greets at various local shopping outlets”. The constant presence of Cr Gill has led to Mr…

Joseph Misuraca and Keith Platt FORMER Liberal Dunkley MP Chris Crewther wants the chance to regain the seat he lost to Labor’s Peta Murphy at the 2019 election. Mr Crewther succeeded fellow Liberal Bruce Billson in 2016 but failed to hold onto the seat that had been held by Mr Billson for 20 years. Mr Crewther is now one of four Liberals seeking preselection for Dunkley. The other contenders are Donna Hope, Sharn Coombes and Chrestyna Kmetj. Ms Hope (formerly Mrs Bauer) was the state MP for Carrum until 2014, when she lost her seat to Labor’s Sonya…

CHANGES to state electoral boundaries see Labor as having a small winning margin in two of the Mornington Peninsula’s three seats. However, both major parties have reduced margins in seats they already hold on the peninsula. Hastings, held by Liberal Neale Burgess since 2006, has swung 1.5 per cent to Labor, changing Mr Burgess’s 1.1 per cent winning margin to a 0.4 per cent loss in Labor’s favour. Labor, which gained a foothold on the normally solid Liberal peninsula with the election in 2019 of Chris Brayne in Nepean, sees his margin clipped from 0.9 per cent to 0.6 per…

VOICES are being heard and issues being raised across the Mornington Peninsula in the search for an independent election candidate for the federal seat of Flinders. Members of the fledgling Voices for Mornington Peninsula say it is time for a change in Flinders, held by the Minister for Health and Ageing, Liberal Greg Hunt, for more than two decades. Since the group’s Saturday 19 June online launch, VMP volunteers have been seeking residents’ views of the peninsula, including “their concerns and ideas for the future”. “These conversations highlight concerns about the federal government’s failure to address significant issues such as…

STEVE Holland is the latest member of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to be appointed to a group involved in managing or advising local government in Victoria. Cr Holland’s election to the board of the Victorian Local Government Association board follows the mayor Cr Despi O’Connor’s appointment by the state government to the local government mayoral advisory panel and deputy mayor Cr Sarah Race to its gender equality advisory committee. Cr Holland was one of two councillors elected for a three-year term on the VLGA board. Cr Josh Fergeus, of Monash Council, was the other successful candidate. Cr Holland’s Briars Ward…