Author: Keith Platt

THE First peoples’ Health and Wellbeing organisation says Aboriginals in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula have been left out of the federal government’s “commitment to improving the health of all Australians”. The health service’s CEO Karinda Taylor said that despite the area having 6000 Aboriginals, it was “one of the only regions in the country where the local Aboriginal health service did not receive any investment under [Flinders MP and Health Minister] Greg Hunt’s recently announced $90 million boost for Aboriginal health services”. First peoples’ Health and Wellbeing earlier this year opened a clinic in Station Street, Frankston to…

CRITTENDEN Estate in Dromana has won international recognition for its efforts to achieve sustainability in making wines. The estate has won the 2020 BRIT/FIVS international winegrowing competition in the wake of a decision more than a decade ago to stop using chemicals. Estate manager Rollo Crittenden said soil fertility at the Harrisons Road vineyard dropped noticeably about 12 years ago following 25 years’ use of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. Chemical residues had made the soil “chalky” and lacking in nutrients, which led to vines being “not as healthy as they could be”. The decision to adopt other ways of improving…

LOCAL government representatives from around the world have been told about Mornington Peninsula Shire’s efforts to attain “climate neutrality” through lessening its carbon emissions. Cr Hugh Fraser last week outlined the declaration of a climate emergency by the shire and 1000 other Australian municipalities to a conference in Madrid, Spain. He said the move by local governments to recognise the climate emergency in Australia started in 2016 and was adopted by the shire on 13 August this year following an audit of its carbon footprint which was first undertaken five years ago. Cr Fraser told his international audience that the…

ALEX Dellaportas describes herself as “a living example of someone who doesn’t always fit in – someone who thinks differently, who experiences emotions uniquely”. She admits to having a “sometimes difficult relationship with mental health” but also as someone who has learned to embrace and see “differences as a superpower”. Dellaportas, of Capel Sound, started Spark Youth Dance Company (SYDC) in 2016 hoping it would enable 7-25 year olds “speak about mental illness and to normalise difference, to encourage it, to channel it into art that speaks to people, that tells stories that change the way our young people live…

MILLIONS of dollars in taxpayers’ money is being spent restoring two Mornington Peninsula beaches despite experts being unable to find a permanent solution to sand loss. At Portsea, heavy machinery is being used to build a rock wall to protect workers repairing a sandbag sea wall first installed in 2010. At Rosebud, 20,000 cubic metres of sand will be dredged from offshore sandbars and used to renourish two beaches. Rosebud West beach is impassable at high tide and beach boxes have been undermined while the Bay Trail boardwalk has been washed by waves east of the pier. Within four weeks…

WORK has officially started on a plant in the Latrobe Valley to extract hydrogen gas from brown coal which will be tuned into liquid at Hastings for export to Japan. The liquification plant now being built in Bayview Road, Hastings is scheduled to be completed by June 2020. Construction of a ship to transport the liquefied hydrogen is underway in Kobe, Japan. The plant to extract hydrogen gas from brown coal is being built at the AGL Loy Yang mine The state and federal governments have each contributed $50 million towards the $400m Japan–Australia Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain Pilot Project…

THE Environment Protection Authority Victoria says beachgoers should check its forecasting service or sign up for its SMS service before going to the beach on the Mornington Peninsula this summer. EPA chief environmental scientist Dr Andrea Hinwood said the Beach Report, which came on stream last Sunday (1 December), provided information about water quality in Port Phillip. The service ends on the Labour Day weekend next March. The water quality report comes two weeks after South East Water warned that sewage spills into Tanto Creek may have polluted beaches south of Mills Beach, Mornington (“Beach warning” The News 26/11/19). “Our…

NEW signs, blocking tracks and revegetation are the latest moves being made to stop cliff jumpers at The Pillars, Mt Martha. Police and local laws officers will also be keeping a close eye on illegal parking, booking misbehaving motorists where possible. But there will be no return of the fence that last year cost Mornington Peninsula Shire ratepayers about $200,000 and saw police refusing to climb over it to enforce alcohol bans. Last Wednesday (20 November) saw no shortage of thrill seekers jumping off the cliffs, with boats and jet skis anchored close by.” The shire’s coastal planner Laura Crilly…

ELEVEN years after it was first suggested, Mt Martha seems set to have its own skatepark. Mornington Peninsula Shire is inviting public comment on plans to build the skatepark as part of a revamp of the playground opposite Mt Martha Primary School, in Glenisla Drive. A public meeting was held on Monday night to discuss the plans and online comments will be accepted up until 5 January next year. The $500,000 plans outlined to councillors at their 22 October meeting describe the Eco Park playground as an active recreation hub that will include a skate and scooter bowl with pockets,…

VICROADS is fixing hundreds of cracks in the retaining wall at the northern end of the Marine Drive underpass at Safety Beach. The wall and underpass were built and paid for by the developer of the Martha Cove marina and housing development before being handed over to VicRoads and the Martha Cove owners’ corporation. VicRoads says sealing the cracks will “minimise the risk of corrosion of steel in the walls”. The owners’ corporation says a “cathodic protection system designed to check condition and ensure corrosion of concrete reinforcing steel is minimised” will be installed in the underpass. Mornington-based Watsons, described…

NEPEAN MP Chris Brayne has lost his licence for three months after being caught by police driving at 108kph in an 80kph zone. Mr Brayne had just turned 25 when he became the state’s youngest serving MP when elected last November. His win was hailed as a major victory for Labor which gained a valuable foothold on the Liberal-dominated Mornington Peninsula. Nepean had been held for 14 years by former minister Martin Dixon, whose former office manager Russell Joseph was expected to easily win the seat. Sportsbet offered $16 for a Labor win and $1.01 for the Liberals. The loss…

DAVID Gill sees the influence Mornington Peninsula Shire had on the May 2018 federal election as one of council’s main achievements during his time as mayor. He says “advocacy” by the shire during the election campaign led to the “winning party” making “project promises” of $175 million. Cr Gill, pictured, credits the shire with achieving “the largest number of project promises ever secured in a local government campaign”. The seat of Flinders was won for the Liberal Party by Greg Hunt, who has held the seat since being first elected in 2001. Cr Gill made his comments at the shire’s…

DESPITE its lack of surf, Rye pier in Port Phillip was the beach of choice on Saturday for a board-based protest against plans by Norwegian oil-giant Equinor’s to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. One of the Mornington Peninsula’s organisers, Asha Bainbridge, estimated about 350 people were at Rye for the Fight for the Bight protest, one of 40 being held around Australia. Markus Tschech, of the Surfrider Foundation, said protesters were concerned about the irreversible consequences of an oil spill “not just on Australia’s southern coastline, but on the peninsula”. “Equinor’s own worst-case spill modelling shows a…

ENGRAVER Perry Fletcher says he has always had a love of the “impressionist painters”, particularly Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. While Fletcher’s most notable work, the engraving The Last Supper and Borders, took six years to complete, he has now completed 90 paintings reflecting the influence that Monet and Van Gogh had on his “direction in art”. These latest works were completed over 11 months, with Fletcher rising daily at 2.30am. The effects of Monet’s “colour” and Van Gogh’s “passion” on the Mt Martha-based Perry are being exhibited at Oak Hill Gallery until 28 November. The exhibition was opened…

THE award-winning winery and restaurant Ten Minutes by Tractor is back in business since being forced to close by a fire 19 months ago. Some of the firefighters who fought the blaze were among the first to be welcomed by owners Martin and Karen Spedding at the Main Ridge restaurant’s re-opening on Saturday 9 November. The fire in February 2018, swept through sheds and a storage area, leading to the evacuation of diners and the loss of vintage wines and old tractors (“Wine, tractors lost in fire” The News 27/2/18). The Speddings say rebuilding the restaurant, with an extra 30…

DOLPHINS spend a lot of time rounding up food and socialising but researchers were intrigued when they were spotted swimming among a large group of jellyfish. Common dolphins living near Mornington were photographed for identification purposes when they appeared to be playing with the blue blubber jellyfish. “It’s always a treat to witness their leaps and sometimes full somersaults, as they herd fish or just seem to play,” Dolphin Research Institute executive director Jeff Weir said. “Their eyesight is good both above and below water, so when they leap or spyhop they can most certainly see other dolphins and boats.…

TWO different Mornington Peninsula gardens will open their gates to the public for one weekend next month. L’Oceane at Rye contrasts with Moats Corner, garden inland from Dromana that has evolved over the past 70 years. Open Gardens Victoria chair Liz Fazio describes Moat’s Corner as “a real treat … a six-acre country styled garden with a modern twist”. “The original garden features winding paths leading to an ornamental lake and various garden rooms, including more than 400 roses,” Ms Fazio said. “The newly built award-winning residence floats above a contemporary succulent and cacti garden created by Colin Hyett.” Named…

As storm clouds gather on the horizon most people seek shelter or prepare their properties for the worst; battening the hatches, so to speak. But that’s not the case with Yanni Dellaportas. The first sign of a storm sees him checking the weather bureau’s forecast. Where and when will it hit, how strong will the winds be or how heavy the deluge. Most importantly, will it be an electrical storm? Will there be lightning? If the answer to the last two questions is positive, Dellaportas, or Yanni as he is more commonly and professionally known, will be checking his camera…

IT was a random find, but one has sparked the interest of Neil Jansen. The hollow, yellow surfboard stood out at the recycling centre adjoining the Mornington waste transfer station and Mr Jansen decided it could be useful. However, before trying out or even given it a new paint job he decided to try and track down its history. “The only other boards I’ve seen constructed like this were 18 foot craft from my lifesaver days in South Africa in the 1960s,” he said. Hollow plywood surfboards were made and ridden in the 1930s, with American Tom Blake acknowledged as…

AT the first sign of last week’s hot weather daredevil cliff jumpers were back at The Pillars. The fence erected by Mornington Peninsula Shire last year to stop public access to Mt Martha’s famous natural attraction was dismantled months ago, but cold water and cloudy skies provided their own disincentive. But now, even with tougher parking regulations and the ongoing alcohol ban, The Pillars is back in vogue. On Wednesday night there were seven jet skis parked near the base of the cliff and plenty of jumpers scrambling in and out of the clear waters. On Thursday, even as shire…

SENIOR Liberals are reportedly seeking to overturn a decision by their own federal seats committee that would require sitting MPs to face preselection. If the committee’s decision remains on the party’s books, Flinders MP Greg Hunt, a Cabinet minister, could face a challenge early next year from within his own party’s ranks. The committee recommended nominations for all Liberal-held seats open on 15 January next year, with party members voting in February or March and candidates selected by October. However, neither the chairman of that committee, Russell Joseph – who last November failed to win the former Liberal state seat…

IT’S 25 years since council amalgamations throughout Victoria, which led to formation of a “super shire” on the Mornington Peninsula. The amalgamation of 1994 saw the peninsula run by three state government-appointed commissioners instead of elected councillors, who were effectively sacked by the Kennett Liberal government. The commissioners’ job was to create one council where there had been three: Flinders, Mornington and Hastings. In the lead-up to amalgamation, individual councils fought turf wars, staking their claim (through submissions to the government) to land outside their municipal boundaries. But the government stood firm on wanting one municipality for the peninsula. Surrounded…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is hoping to have a “consolidated and enforceable permit” in place for Peninsula Aero Club to operate at Tyabb Airfield by early next year. In a statement last Wednesday (16 October) the shire said the permit would “update and modernise” three existing planning permits “to make the existing club permits clearer and easier for all of the community to understand”. Two days later, club president Jack Vevers accused the shire of trying to “hoodwink the community into believing they are resolving the issues between the airport and the council”. “PAC say this feels like another poor attempt…

FLINDERS MP Greg Hunt says young people can “help build and maintain a healthy headspace” by talking and sharing ideas with family and friends. “About 560,000 Australian children and adolescents are estimated to have a mental illness and one in four young Australians aged 16 to 24 experiences mental illness in any given year,” Mr Hunt, who is also the health minister, said. “Young people need to look after their mental health and wellbeing on an ongoing basis, and headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation has released wellbeing kits, with seven tips for a healthy headspace.” He said the federal…

BUILDERS and plumbers across the Mornington Peninsula are being asked to help track down a serial concrete dumper. The dumper has left at least eight solid clues on peninsula roadsides. Authorities believe the concrete is most likely leftovers from a building foundation pour and is being dumped to avoid tipping costs. It is believed a skip bin truck, possibly an Isuzu or Mitsubishi with green writing on the door, may be involved. The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA), Victorian Building Authority (VBA) and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council have joined forces to “bring a serial concrete dumper to justice”. At least…

MORNINGTON Peninsula residents are being asked to contribute ideas towards a climate emergency plan. “Key areas” already identified include energy transition; zero emissions from transport; having a circular, no-waste economy; and, sustainable farming. The call for input into an emergency plan follows the decision in August by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to declare a climate emergency. In doing so, the shire joined 840 other local governments across 18 countries in recognising threat of climate change and the changes it was already causing to economies and environments (“Peninsula declares ‘climate emergency’” The News 13/8/19). The Australian parliament last week received a…

COMPLAINTS about a so-called “party house” at Sorrento have led to the property owner being fined $1500. In December 2018 neighbours called police about noise and loud music being played at the house until 3am. The owners of the house were prosecuted and fined under Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Short Stay Rental Accommodation Local Law. The shire says it has a “zero-tolerance approach to party houses”. The shire’s local law is the first of its kind in the state and includes a requirement that property owners nominate an agent who must respond within two hours to complaints from neighbours. The mayor…

A PLAN to ban plastic bags on the Mornington Peninsula is likely to run foul of the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance. The ATA, which claims to represent all taxpayers, said banning plastic bags “would hurt both small businesses and the environment”. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have given the go ahead for $165,000 to be spent on the first stage of a program designed to wipe out single use plastic items, including plastic bags (“Shire plans to ban plastics” The News 16/10/19). The mayor Cr David Gill told The News that councillors wanted the ban “done quicker” than the two years suggested…

UP to 200 people are homeless and have nowhere regular to sleep in the Western Port area. Many of the disadvantaged are elderly, with one 86-year-old woman listed by Western Port Support Centre. Mornington Peninsula Shire is rated the sixth worst Victorian municipality for the number of rough sleepers, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics census. There is no public crisis accommodation on the peninsula and support centres regularly hand out swags and food to people they know are sleeping in cars or even toilet blocks. Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr David Gill said responsibility for homelessness lay…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council says it has “developed robust policies” to prevent corruption when buying goods and services. CEO John baker says the shire Places the “highest importance” on managing services it provides with “public money”. Mr Baker’s assurances follow the investigation of corruption and kickbacks at Darebin and Ballarat councils by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). As a result of its investigations IBAC has recommended Local Government Victoria consider developing a code of conduct for local government suppliers. The code would outline standards expected of suppliers, including in relation to reporting suspected misconduct or corrupt conduct on the…