Eleven projects from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula are among 237 Pick My Project ideas sharing $30 million of taxpayers’ money. Ranging from charity works to recreational pursuits, the successful projects were chosen on the number of online votes they attracted. The amount of money available to particular communities was based on an equal split between “regional partnership areas” in metro and regional Victoria and then on population numbers within those areas. The peninsula had the second highest number of successful projects (eight) in the Southern Metro area but attracted the most money. Improved lighting at Alexandra Park, Mornington attracted…
Author: Keith Platt
The gas import terminal proposed at Crib Point is part of power company AGL’s $2 billion “electricity generation projects aimed at modernising and improving energy supply”. AGL chairman Graeme Hunt last Wednesday (26 September) named Crib Point as being one of these projects, along with wind farms at Coopers Gap and Silverton, gas-fired power stations at Barker Inlet and Newcastle and a coal-fired power station at Bayswater. A protest, pictured, against the Crib Point floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) was held outside while Mr Hunt was speaking to shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting in the Melbourne Recital Centre.…
A NEW feature at The Briars property, Mt Martha, is designed as a place “to bring our human and wild communities together in a more connected way, with a ‘hands-off approach”. Opening next month (Saturday 3 November) The Nature Nook is a place of contemplation at the intersection of two boardwalks. “We’d like to educate children and adults about how humans and wildlife mutually benefit and how we can interact,” Eve Kelly, secretary of the Australian Wildlife Protection Council, said of the Nook. The Nook is being developed with a community placement grant from the owner of The Briars, Mornington…
THE bid for votes at the 24 November state election is proving fruitful for train commuters with the Labor government offering 50 more spaces at Frankston station than the Liberal opposition. In mid-September the opposition pledged to build a $30 million 450-space multi-deck car park and last week this was topped by Labor coming with a 500-space car park plan. Labor’s promise will depend on the state government regaining office and the federal Labor toppling the government now led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. While neither the government or opposition has indicated where they plan to build the car park,…
The Labor Party has finally announced its candidate for the seat of Nepean being vacated by retiring MP, Martin Dixon. The choice of Chris Brayne, above, comes months after the Liberals’ Russell Joseph hit the campaign trail and some weeks after the Greens Paul Saunders said he too would be wooing voters in Nepean. Mr Bayne said if Labor was returned to office and also won Nepean it would ensure the seat became marginal and “have the attention of everyone including myself as the local MP, the Premier [presumably Daniel Andrews] and the government itself”. “Imagine the opportunity our electorate…
Plans for a microbrewery in green wedge-zoned land at Moorooduc include car parking for 28 vehicles, an additional dwelling as well as growing hops for the beer that would be brewed and sold on site. Mornington Peninsula Shire’s planning services committee last week deferred making a decision on a permit for the brewery despite officers recommending that a permit be refused. Council officers recommended the permit be refused but Cr David Gill said councillors decided a deferral would allow “interested parties to engage in a discussion to see if all aspects and ramifications of the permit application had been fleshed…
Steve Bastoni’s often on call. He’s an actor and is ready to fit into a role at a director’s discretion. But his job also has a lot to do with timing and he knows “hurrying is just not worth it, especially if you’re driving”. Bastoni, pictured, has taken on the role of ambassador for next month’s Arthurs Seat Challenge, the 6.7 kilometre run/walk that raises money to spread the Fit to Drive program’s road safety message in schools throughout the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston. “I’ve never been a participant before, but this year I’ll be giving it a red hot…
Power company AGL is considering bringing forward its offer of discounts for businesses along a proposed gas pipeline between Crib Point and Pakenham. The pipeline is an essential part of AGL’s plan to moor a 300 metre long floating gas terminal at Crib Point to process imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). In June AGL “guaranteed” to discount power prices to small businesses along the pipeline route from Crib Point to Pakenham if the floating terminal is approved by governments and its own board (“Contracts ‘advance’ AGL’s gas plan” The News 12/6/18). AGL senior manager – project engagement Kelly Parkinson has…
Little did she know as she grew up, but it was probably inevitable that Alexandra Dellaportas’s artistic eye would see creative possibilities when learning about her wider family’s history. Talking with her grandfather while visiting Greece and learning about Greek mythology have led directly to her third dance production, Ariadne. Unlike the easy familial linking of the Mornington Peninsula-based director and choreographer to Greece, the story of the mythical Ariadne involves corrosive family relationships and her eventual escape from these bonds through a labyrinth built to hold the half man half bull Minotaur for her father King Minos. Dellaportas’s version…
WITHOUT any public announcement or the type of fanfare usually associated with “good news”, Mornington Peninsula Shire has installed signs proclaiming a small sandy beach at Mt Martha North to be “leash-free” for dogs. The appearance of the signs is the final admittance by the shire that the beach is part of Hawker Beach and should not have been so avidly patrolled by shire rangers over the 2017/18 summer. Rangers visited the beach more than 40 times, warning dog owners that their pets were not allowed there – on or off leash. The shire admitted its mistake only after being…
STATE planning minister Richard Wynne is expected to decide before the end of the month on the need for power company AGL to undertake full environmental studies into the effects of a floating gas terminal at Crib Point. AGL and APA Transmission – which, if approved, will build a gas pipeline from Crib Point to Pakenham – submitted details of their proposals to Mr Wynne last Tuesday (11 September). Later that night Mornington Peninsula Shire called for “a state government-run transparent consultation process [into the importation of gas] that includes examining environmental effects and problems associated with the proposed 60…
Unexpected erosion has caused delays and a change in engineers’ plans to protect crumbling cliffs at Mt Martha North beach. The use of a geotextile sand tube was abandoned after several storms in June and July. Instead, the wall designed to prevent further erosion at the base of the cliff will be built solely using geotextile blankets and rocks. Sand will still be imported from the beach north of the Balcombe Estuary “to top up the beach and inhibit undermining of the [cliff] toe”, according to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Beach box owners have been told…
CAMPAIGNING for the 24 November state election is already underway, although just one of the major parties seems to have acknowledged the existence of the Mornington Peninsula. With the peninsula’s three state seats – Nepean, Mornington and Hastings – solidly held by the Liberals, Labor could be seen as already accepting there will be no change. The Premier Daniel Andrews and even newly-anointed Prime Minister Scott Morrison have been active in neighbouring marginal Frankston, but neither has seen fit to wander any further south. Frankston is held for Labor with a slim majority by Paul Edbrooke. He is being opposed…
MOTORISTS travelling on Peninsula Link last Wednesday morning were confronted by new road signs. But rather being instructed about regulating their speed or on which side of the road to drive they were being told that AGL’s plans for a floating gas terminal at Crib Point should be scrapped. Banner held aloft on a bridge spanning the highway proclaimed “Save Westernport” and “#NoAGLgas”. Jack Dewhurst of the Peninsula Environment Action Network said the floating gas terminal and “hundreds of gas ships coming in and out of the harbour would expose the entire ecosystem to environmental destruction, pollution, invasive species, and…
DARRIN Gaffy would be the first to admit he landed on his feet when he found and bought 10 hectares of land in Red Hill. In fact, he was so sure of his place on the land that he built a house, planted grape vines and named the property Principia, after a book of the same name by Sir Isaac Newton. “He’s the father of gravity,” Gaffy says while sitting in the kitchen of his house which overlooks his place of work, the vineyard. Gaffy prides himself on using gravity in his winemaking process. The system prevents him from filtering…
PORTS Minister Luke Donnellan has given the strongest indication yet that the state government is likely to approve AGL’s plan for a floating gas terminal at Crib Point. “I support the proposal to bring gas in through the port of Hastings,” Mr Donnellan told state parliament on Wednesday 8 August. Mr Donnellan said AGL’s proposal to import gas would “shake out the marketplace in Victoria”. “As people know, there have been incredible increases in prices for gas across the board in this state, so we are very supportive of the AGL proposal. We are also very supportive of the employment…
TICKETS and invitations for council officers and councillors to attend sporting events are a “perfect example” of the type of “gift” that can benefit Mornington Peninsula Shire, according to the mayor Cr Bryan Payne. “It’s amazing who you meet in these super boxes,” he said. Cr Payne said sporting events “in particular … break down all barriers” and help forge beneficial networks”. He had no problems with the shire’s CEO Carl Cowie accepting two $300 tickets from recruitment firm McArthur to a corporate box at an AFL game in May. The shire’s gifts, benefits and hospitality register shows Mr Cowie…
EIGHT years after the need for a skatepark was “identified” at Mt Martha, residents are again being asked to suggest a site. Mornington Peninsula Shire in 2012 announced plans to spend $850,000 on a skatepark on the parade ground at the corner of Kilburn Grove and the Esplanade, next to Mt Martha Tennis Club. That decision came four years after the need for a skatepark at Mt Martha was identified in the shire’s Skate and BMX Strategy 2008. But the club proved the shire was skating on thin ice when it finally admitted the land earmarked for the skatepark was…
MEMBERS of the community group fighting plans for a floating gas terminal at Crib Point on Sunday joined forces with international environment group 4Ocean to clean up the Hastings foreshore. Rob Knowles of the Save Westernport NO AGL group said that in doing so its members “showed that they not only say what they think they act what they think”. The group will take its concerns to the state government on Friday when it delivers a petition calling on Planning Minister Richard Wynne to block AGL’s gas import plan. AGL is yet to lodge its submission with Mr Wynne who…
A STATE government-appointed advisory committee will decide whether a second German-based supermarket chain can open a store in Mornington. Planning Minister Richard Wynne has told Mornington Peninsula Shire that he will appoint a committee to “provide advice and recommendations” on plans by Kaufland to open six supermarkets around Melbourne. Mr Wynne’s move to help Kaufland progress through the planning process has angered Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Bryan Payne. Cr Payne said the advisory panel was “another example of Mr Wynne impinging on the responsibility of local government”. He said it ranked alongside three-storey building heights that were imposed on…
DEFENCE Road in Point Nepean National Park has been reopened after being closed for nine-weeks. Parks Victoria says the road repairs which caused the closure were part of the state government’s “commitment towards activating the Point Nepean Master Plan”. “The road foundations have been upgraded and strengthened to help future-proof the park and improve overall access for its growing visitation,” district manager south east Melbourne Libby Jude said. Defence Road is the main access road into the park and connects the Quarantine Station and Fort Nepean for vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and the shuttle bus. The roadworks included reconstructing 3.6 kilometres…
THE main speaker might be there to talk about waste, but the threats of climate change and erosion of beaches are also certain to feature in next month’s “community coastal forum”. Orgainsed by Mornington Peninsula Shire, the forum is open to those “with a passion for the protection, future development and enhancement of our coastal areas”. Guest speakers include ABC TV’s documentary War On Waste host Craig Reucassel looking at future challenges for councils in dealing with waste mitigation and reduction. With more than 190 kilometres of coastline, including along Port Phillip and Western Port bays, the shire sees itself…
NATIONAL recruitment firm McArthur has been hired to find suitable candidates for the CEO’s job at Mornington Peninsula Shire. The nearly $400,000 a year position has been held by Carl Cowie for the past four years. When council decided in June to advertise the CEO’s position Mr Cowie said he had “been strongly encouraged to reapply and I have advised that I will be doing that” (“Market test for CEO’s job” The News 19/6/18). Mr Cowie’s predecessor, Michael Kennedy, held the position for nearly 16 years, but did not make the short list of applicants when the job was advertised…
A BREAK in the weather last week allowed the start of “emergency works” to prevent further erosion of cliffs at Mt Martha Beach North. Heavy earthmoving equipment was driven up the beach from the foreshore car park near the Balcombe Creek Estuary to begin placing large rocks and installing a sand-filled geotextile tube to stop waves further damaging the base of the cliff. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) estimates the $880,000 works could take six weeks. Long term options to prevent erosion of the cliffs and danger to the Esplanade will begin in the next month…
WHALE researchers are hoping a humpback whale calf born off Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island will be able to reach warmer waters. It is the youngest ever humpback spotted in Victorian waters and only the third calf recorded. David Donnelly of the Hastings-based Dolphin Research Institute said the calf, less than four metres long, was about two days old when first spotted this week swimming alongside its 16 metre long mother. “It’s possible that our cold waters could be dangerous for the calf,” Mr Donnelly said. “Humpback whales are usually born and spend their first months in warmer waters off northern…
AFTER nearly two years of sometimes acrimonious debate, Mornington Peninsula Shire has increased the rent for land leased by the Hastings Cricket and Football Social Club in Marine Parade. However, the increase from $4000 a year to $15,000 initially, could have been $61,000 if the shire had adopted a “commercial” figure. The club, which has 50 gaming machines, will be charged $15,000 (plus GST) a year in the first year of a its new 21-year lease, rising to $25,000 a year in three years and then paying three per cent increases for the following 18 years. The decision by council…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire rangers spent summer warning dog owners off a beach at Mt Martha even though the 80 metre strip of sand is a leash-free area. The rangers visited the beach more than 40 times, telling dog owners it was a no-go zone for their pets. The shire has now admitted that the southern end of the leash-free Hawker Beach begins at the beach access stairs at the end of a track off the Esplanade between Augusta and Helena Streets. At one stage shire rangers displayed a large “Dogs prohibited in this area” sign at the top of the…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have been reassured they can claim child care costs for more than one child and child care agency fees. Councillors last week voted to amend the Councillor Expenses Reimbursement, Resources and Facilities Policy to make it clear that these costs can be claimed for children up to 16 years. The policy was adopted by council on 12 December 2017 and will be reviewed before the next municipal election in October 2020. Shire senior policy advisor Anthea Hastie said councillors can be reimbursed for child care costs while “discharging their official duties”. “Councillors are eligible for reimbursement…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire had called on the state government to stop a $3 million rock wall being built at the Portsea front beach until a solution can be found to protect and restore the beach. The shire says the government’s rock revetment “by itself will achieve erosion protection but will not guarantee the return of this iconic beach”. The rock revetment treatment was chosen by Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) after commissioning a study in 2016 by consultants Advisian. The study produced seven options for the 600 metres of beach and foreshore which has receded by 25-30…
CELEBRATIONS come and go with regularity, most often marked by years. And this has become the norm for members of a mothers’ group in Mt Martha celebrating their decade-long friendship. Although not related, the 11 families have kept pace with each other, watching their children progress through various stages of growth and schooling. Some have moved away, but the bonds remain. The families were brought together when the mothers joined a group organised through Mornington Peninsula Shire’s maternal and child health centre at the Bentons Square Community Centre, Mornington. “The mother’s group started 10 years ago and is still going…