Hospital to lift game after carpark ‘oversight’ A LACK of lift access at a multi-storey carpark at Frankston Hospital has been defended by Peninsula Health on the grounds it was not necessary under Victoria’s building regulations. Peninsula Health chief operating officer Brendon Gardner told ABC 774 radio presenter Jon Faine last Monday (9 November) that no elevator access at the carpark was “an oversight” but said the hospital was not legally obliged to provide access for wheelchairs or prams at the carpark. “The top two levels are for staff and the bottom level is for visitors so under the requirements of the Building Code we do have to provide disability access in terms of the lower level,” Mr Gardner said. “We do believe that it’s an oversight
with regards to having a lift up to the upper levels even from a staff point of view.” Mr Gardner said the design “was in accordance with guidelines” at the time of construction. The Peninsula Health executive said the multi-deck carpark is one parking option at Frankston Hospital and there are 1250 vehicle spaces at the hospital grounds. Jon Faine said he found it “incredible” that a multi-storey carpark had been built without lifts. “It’s astonishing from an outsider’s point of view,” he said. When contacted by The Times Peninsula Health provided a statement from director of facilities management Geoff DeCampo: “Frankston
Hospital’s multi-deck car park was built in accordance with Victorian building regulations and codes in 2012. “In addition to the multi-deck car park, there are 700 street-level car parks onsite. We are currently exploring options to build an additional multi-deck car park, with 750 accessible spaces, in the near future.” Mr Gardner also told Jon Faine another multi-deck carpark will be built at the hospital next year. “We’re about to build another multi-deck [carpark]. We’re starting in 2016 with a 750 space multi-deck that we are absolutely putting lifts in,” he said. Neil Walker
Rivers of gold flow into pokies Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au PUNTERS in Victoria lost $5.8 billion while gambling in the past financial year and poker machine losses in pubs and clubs made up $2.57 billion of the total losses as gamblers. An annual report tabled by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation in State Parliament last week revealed that in 2014-15 gamblers lost $2.57 billion on pokies, $1.84 billion on gaming machines and tables at Crown Casino and $857.6 million on racing, trackside, football and sports betting. Victorians also lost $500.6 million on lotteries and $16.7 million on Keno. While punters lost cash the state government raked in $1.62 billion in taxes and levies on gambling profits. VCGLR data shows Frankston pokies players lost more than $62 million for the 12 months from July 2014 until June this year, matching the previous financial year’s Frankston losses. The Seaford Taverner, owned by Woolworths subsidiary the Australian Leisure and Hospital Group, had the eighth highest pokies losses in the state according to VCGLR statistics. The ALH Group also owns the Pier Hotel in Frankston and the Sands Taverner in Carrum Downs. A voluntary pre-commitment scheme, called YourPlay, aimed at problem gamblers and those who wish to limit their pokies losses will be introduced by the Labor state
POKIES LOSSES IN FRANKSTON 2014-15 Venue
Seaford Taverner Sands Taverner Frankston RSL Langwarrin Hotel Pier Hotel Grand Hotel Riveria Hotel Karingal Bowling Club Seaford RSL Frankston Football Club
EGMs 105 65 82 52 97 64 45 29 25 27
Money lost
$16,346,192 $9,105,773 $9,057,647 $7,604,420 $5,607,594 $5,855,702 $3,934,099 $1,990,313 $1,501,718 $1,062,225
*Electronic gaming maching (EGMs) losses are for the 2014-15 financial year from July 2014 to June 2015. Data collected by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation. See vcgr.vic.gov.au for monthly breakdown of pokies losses per municipality and venue. government in December. Gamblers will be able to sign up for a swipe card to set spending limits, set reminders and track how much time and money they are spending on gaming machines. The YourPlay scheme, designed by the Department of Justice and Regulation, has bipartisan support from the state Liberal National Coalition opposition. When launching a trial of the precommitment scheme in July, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Minister Jane Garrett said Labor “is leading the way with this Australian-first precommitment scheme”.
“For the first time people will be able to walk into a gaming venue anywhere in the state and control how much time and money they want to spend.” Critics of the $197 million YourPlay scheme – mostly paid for by the pokies industry, after consultation with industry, community groups and researchers – note gamblers can choose to play on after they reach the preselected swipe card limit. Neighbouring gamblers in the Mornington Peninsula Shire and Kingston lost a total of $79.4 million and $81.5 million respectively on the pokies last financial year.
Free household chemical collection at Mornington’s Detox your Home Detox your Home is a safe, FREE and easy-to-use service to dispose of common household chemicals without harming your health or the environment. Mornington’s collection Saturday 28 November 2015 8.00 am to 4.00 pm
530759
Address provided upon registration.
Decanting not permitted. Only containers up to 20 litres accepted.
Simply register online, turn up on the day with your unwanted items – and we’ll do the rest. sustainability.vic.gov.au/detoxyourhome
Decks stacked against easy access: The multi-storey carpark at Frankston Hospital built with no lifts to upper levels. Picture: Gary Sissons
Mum dies after head on crash
Mulgrave between 12.30 and 3pm on 13 October. Frankston-based detectives are investigating how the credit card was obtained. After trawling through CCTV recordings they have released images of a man they want to interview. He is described as being Caucasian, aged in his late 40s, wearing a black beanie, glasses, black jumper, blue jeans and sneakers at the time of the incident. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au
A woman from Carrum Downs involved in a vehicle collision last Monday (9 November) died in hospital on Friday morning. The 47-year-old mother-of-two’s car was hit by a stolen BMW driven by a 15-year-old boy at about 7.40am on the Monday morning on Governor Rd, Mordialloc. The woman died at The Alfred hospital. The Ford sedan she was driving was struck at the intersection of Spray Ave by a BMW four-wheel-drive allegedly stolen from Doncaster the previous Wednesday. The BMW was on the wrong side of the road and was being driven at high speed. A 15-year-old Patterson Lakes boy who was allegedly driving the BMW was arrested at the Chelsea Heights McDonald’s after the crash. The boy was charged last Tuesday with reckless conduct placing a person in danger of death, reckless conduct placing a person in danger of serious injury and other traffic offences. He was also charged with aggravated burglary and a number of thefts of motor car charges. He will face a children’s court at a later date.
Lehane donations VIEWERS of A Current Affair have dug deep and donated more than $500,000 to the family of Andrew Lehane, the Carrum Downs mother-oftwo killed in September after being hit by an illegal monkey bike outside the Carrum Downs shopping centre. Widower James Lehane was interviewed by A Current Affair last week and said the generous donations would ensure his young son and daughter could go to “a good school”, since this was a reason his wife worked so hard. Caleb Jakobsson, 18, is due to face court in January over the fatal collision.
Tap and go A THIEF has clocked up bills of $400 at six shops using tap and go technology with a stolen credit. Careful to keep purchases under the $100 limit, the thief bought cigarettes, a skateboard, gift cards and alcohol at shops in Frankston, Springvale and
OPENING SPECIALS MUST PRESENT THIS AD FOR THESE SPECIAL PRICES while stocks last
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Chicken Pie Filler
Taking Christmas Orders
$8.99kg
Chicken Wings $2.99kg (Special prices end 30/11/15) Frankston Times
16 November 2015
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