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‘Pokies must go’ when Saints march back in Continued from Page 1 St Kilda Football Club spokesman Luke Holmesby said “no taxpayers’ dollars are being spent on pokies machines in the Moorabbin redevelopment”. “Ratepayers’ dollars are being invested in much needed community facilities. Refurbishment of the Saints Social Club is solely and completely the responsibility of the St Kilda Football Club.” Mr Holmesby said the Saints “spent more than 40 per cent of its gaming revenue on Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation defined community benefits” against a legislated 8.33 per cent requirement. This amounted to about $813,350 in 2013-14 with 83 gaming machines at Linton St raking in $2,177,115 for the
Saints during the same period. A breakdown of the $813,350 in “community benefits” listed on the VCGLR’s website shows most of the money was used for St Kilda FC operating costs, staff wages and the sponsorship of Sandringham Football Club. “They claim most of their outgoings as ‘a community benefit’ but … external donations in cash to the community is about $27,000 – not much. It’s about the loss on one machine for one year,” Mr Bendat said. The anti-pokies campaigner has ploughed a personal fortune into publicly lobbying political parties to toughen up gaming regulations. The Labor state government says no taxpayers’ money will be spent on the entertainment venue part of the $29
million Moorabbin Reserve redevelopment. Government spokesman Patrick Land said “$150,000 announced in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget is for planning works to ensure this community project delivers outstanding results for the Saints and the Kingston community. “Part of that planning process is ensuring there is a clear separation between the gaming venue, the community space and the Saints facility.” Cr Gledhill said council will consult Mr Bendat on the new football complex’s design “to mitigate what he sees as threats”. “People like Paul Bendat don’t come along every day. We take what Paul says very seriously. He is passionate.”
Mr Bendat fears losses per machine at Moorabbin Reserve will rise if the gaming area remains as a part of the redevelopment. “What they’re going to do is improve the access exponentially so that more people lose money on their poker machines in the City of Kingston,” he said. “I think the mayor’s heart is in the right place but he also wants to see this eyesore used for the benefit of the community.” “They [council and state government] should be harder with the St Kilda Football Club. “It’s just lazy, lazy work by the St Kilda Football Club because they’ve got all this taxpayers’ money. Make them work for it.”
Passionate: Anti-pokies campaigner Paul Bendat. Picture: Yanni
Plant not crushed, VCAT appeal looms Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au
Remembrance service: Mentone Secondary College students (Clockwise from top) Charlotte, Anita, Abby, Margaret, Chloe, Shannon and Sarah with exhibits at a World War I exhibition at the Laura and Charles Ferguson Museum. Picture: Gary Sissons
Anzacs photos on display in May MENTONE Girls’ Secondary College and the Mordialloc and District Historical Society have collaborated to showcase 25 photographs from World War I. These photos display the remarkable images of soldier Carl Janssen, taken when the Anzacs were training in Egypt. Until now, the photographs have only ever been stored in the Victorian State Library. Now they will be on display, organised by the students
at Mentone Girls’ Secondary College at the museum. This exhibition marks the first time these photographs have been publicly exhibited. Along with the photos, a number of Year 9 students at MGSC have researched a specific Anzac solider from the Kingston area and created a series of video presentations, exhibiting the stories of these local heroes. This exhibition is not one to miss.
To see these incredible historical photographs and excellent visual presentations made by the young historians at MGSC, head down to The Laura and Charles Ferguson Museum at Old Bakery Lane, Mentone (just behind La Porchetta, beside the Coles carpark). The exhibition will be showing for the following two weeks only on Sundays, 2pm-4pm.
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A PLEA by Kingston Council for Planning Minister Richard Wynne to “call in” a controversial bid to extend a licence for a concrete crushing plant in Kingston’s Green Wedge has gone unanswered as yet. Councillors unanimously opposed an attempt late last year by the Alex Fraser Group to extend a permit for its concrete crushing operations in Clarinda until 2038 (‘Concrete path blocked’, The News 24/12/14). The existing permit is due to end in 2023 and was granted against council’s wishes in 2008 by a previous Labor government. Neighbouring Clarinda residents were furious at the decision. A spokeswoman for the Planning Minister confirmed Mr Wynne had received council’s request to call in the application and Mordialloc Labor MP Tim Richardson and Clarinda Labor MP Hong Lim had raised the matter with him. “A date for the VCAT hearing is yet to be set and the minister is still deciding the most suitable way for this application to be determined,” the spokeswoman said. Council CEO John Nevins said council had taken part in a VCAT mediation session in April to discuss the application and the mediation was adjourned until August.
“In the event that mediation is unsuccessful, a hearing has been listed in October,” Mr Nevins said. Defenders of the South East Green Wedge secretary Barry Ross said the group has also written to the Planning Minister backing council’s request to call in the licence extension application. “We believe that approval of the extension would undermine the council’s plans to phase out materials recycling, waste transfer and landfills from Green Wedge and convert the area in open space including the chain of parks,” he said. “If the Alex Fraser concrete crusher is allowed to continue to operate until 2038, it would be giving the green light to other similar operations to set up shop and transform the area in to a waste hub.” Kingston Council has made a formal request to the Planning Minister to rezone green wedge land north of Kingston and Heatherton roads, at risk from the introduction of more recycling facilities, from Special Use Zone to Green Wedge A Zone land. State government agency Sustainability Victoria has previously advised council that the Clayton-Dingley area has been identified as one of several possible locations for a waste hub for Melbourne due to its “access to transport networks”.
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