NEWS DESK
Governments won’t save homes at sea rise risk Mike Hast mike@baysidenews.com.au GOVERNMENTS will not protect houses affected by rising seas, says peninsula foreshore committee member David Gill. Mr Gill spoke to The News after attending the 2015 Australian Coastal Councils Conference at the RACV resort in Cape Schanck mid-March, which was hosted by Mornington Peninsula Shire and Frankston Council. The conference was convened by the National Sea Change Taskforce and brought together scientists, academics, disaster planners, engineers, economists, policymakers and other specialists as well as observers. Speakers came from the CSIRO, universities, business groups, research forums, planning authorities and local governments from around Australia. Local speakers included Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Bev Colomb, Frankston mayor Cr Sandra Mayer, Mornington Peninsula tourism board’s Tracey Cooper, shire coastal planner Virginia Brook, shire Abo riginal cultural heritage officer Adam Magennis, Frankston Council coast erosion planner Jeska Dee, and leisure planner Simone Bonella. Mr Gill said Victoria’s Coastal Strategy Plan made it plain “governments will not be able or willing to protect private assets, including houses, so we need a Future Fund-type source of money” to deal with coming challenges. He said authorities were “planning for the effects of climate change including an eight-metre sea level rise by 2100 as well as a drastic increase in fire risk in populated areas”.
Watery world: The state government’s environment department spread 15,000 cubic metres of sand on Frankston beach in November 2013 after it had been removed by storms. By early January 2014 the sea had taken almost half. Picture: Gary Sissons
“Coastal areas are experiencing booming population growth. For example, in 1956 there were 20,000 people on the Mornington Peninsula. By 2011 there were 150,000. This is happening around Australia in coastal areas resulting in enormous pressure on infrastructure and habitat. “We need a fund to cope with storm events, severe erosion, beach renourishment, habitat maintenance and scientific data collection – to enable a database for dollar value assessment of priorities instead of ad hoc, wasteful and inequitable spending of limited resources. “For every dollar appropriately spent, a saving of three dollars is possible – instead of fixing problems after they develop.” Mr Gill, president of Balnarring Beach Community Association and a former member of foreshore committees in
Hastings and Somers, said Balnarring Beach’s foreshore committee had an annual budget of $400,000 from camping fees but “our equally deserving neighbour Somers has virtually no income because camping reserves are on the other side of the boundary”. He said coastal management in Victoria was unnecessarily complex. “The state’s coastline has 30 main authorities and 200 local committees of management. The peninsula has 192km of coast or about 10 per cent of Victoria’s total. Frankston has 11km. “The shire has 64km of coast under its control with 10 coastal reserves and nine committees of management. It punches way above its weight in protecting the coastline. The rest is ‘controlled’ by Parks Victoria and the state environment department.” Mr Gill said 96 per cent of Victoria’s
coast was in public hands. “I have been involved, like many others, in public committees of management and witnessed: n The hands-on work and long hours of volunteers. n Inappropriate political appointments to committees of management. n Ignorance of connective ecosystems. n Inadequate planning frameworks and policy fragmentation. n Lack of and inequitable distribution of resources resulting in a failure to protect our coastal asset. n Fire risk acerbated by climate change and seen by CSIRO scientists as threatening higher population areas in the future. “The lessons of the recent fire in highly populated Hastings, which affected Crib Point with its ‘one road in one road out’ layout, displayed the need for a rethink of ‘leave early’ warnings when a fire starts nearby and residents leave by car, only to find they are still in fire danger due to traffic congestion. “Recent surveys that were discussed at the conference have defined what Victorians want from our beach areas: n Passive, relaxed activities with family. n No big developments. n Retention of coastal vegetation and coastal village character. “Victorians respect and enjoy living near and visiting our coast. Let’s make sure this continues.” He said keynote speaker Lisa Neville, Victoria’s Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, called for better funding and coordination through a new Marine Coastal Act “after a period of apathy and severe cutbacks by state and federal governments”.
Train station design contest ‘a winner’
Design ideas: Cr Glenn Aitken proposes a national contest for train station design. Picture: Gary Sissons
INTEREST is building in the $50 million revamp of Frankston train station even if construction has not yet begun. Frankston residents had their say at a public forum last Wednesday evening at the Frankston Arts Centre. The forum was hosted by Frankston Council ahead of its submission to the state government’s Frankston Station Precinct Taskforce, headed by Frankston Labor MP Paul Edbrooke. Members of the public at the meeting hoped the redevelopment of the station and its surrounds will lift Frankston’s reputation and discourage anti-social behaviour around the station. Mr Edbrooke is certainly not short of suggested ideas for the station re-
vamp during the consultation process and a proposal out of left field could ignite interest in the project beyond Frankston. Councillor Glenn Aitken has urged the first-term Labor MP to seek design ideas via a nationwide competition. There is a precedent for Frankston hosting a contest for architects to pitch designs. The Seaford Life Saving Club building design was commissioned after an open national competition held in 2005. Architect Robert Simeoni Pty Ltd won the contract and the firm’s work on the project won architecture awards. Cr Aitken believes the Frankston community would welcome the prospect of a national competition to design the station since this would also
focus attention on Frankston for a positive reason. “It would create quite a bit of excitement locally with the prospect of designs coming in from across the country,” he said. “People could look at the designs and choose the best amongst them.” Mr Edbrooke, who is heading the state government’s Frankston Station Precinct Taskforce, said community consultation on the station revamp is still underway and he is keen to see work begin. “The suggestion to use a national design competition to produce a plan is one of many creative ideas being considered by the taskforce,” he said. Neil Walker
Open air burns law changes THE fire danger period has ended, but changes to local laws govern open open-air burn offs. An amendment to the law allows those with properties of 1600 square metres or more to apply for a burnoff permit. While permits will be more accessible, they will still contain certain conditions, such as the size of the fire, weather conditions and stipulate that burning is restricted to Fridays and Saturdays 9am-4pm. A new rule enables officers to take action against nuisance burning, and a new provision covers the illegal burning of toxic material in an indoor fireplace - only dry, untreated green waste is permitted to be burned off. Frankston Council encourages anyone burning off to notify neighbours in advance. The rule change did not affect barbecues, so long as untreated green waste is used and smoke nuisance for neighbours is avoided. Residents can apply for burn-off permits at frankston.vic.gov.au or call 1300 322 322.
Mum’s the word THE rainy start to the day didn’t dampen the spirits of bowlers in the Mercedes Invitational Fours at Mt Eliza on Saturday 28 March … nor the form of winning bowlers Alan Worthington, Geoff Hooper, Jim Howey and Trevor Harrop, of Hastings. They received the Mercedes Benz prize from Mark Seltin, of Mercedes Benz. Second prize went to Mornington Civic and third prize to Karingal. Bowlers came from Bacchus Marsh, Berwick, Brighton, Edithvale, Frankston, Hastings, Karingal, Mornington, Mt Martha, Rye, Ringwood and Seaford for the event. Master of Ceremonies Phil Crowder and Hocking Stuart Mornington’s Brett Trebilcock ran an auction of gifts donated by sponsors. Making club history was the first phone bidder for one of the prizes donated by Mercedes Benz Mornington: a Sandown Racetrack Experience. The identity of the bidder was revealed when the auctioneer said: “Yes mum, the day’s going well; yes I’m fine thanks’ much to the amusement of the crowd. Mrs Crowder was successful in her bid, but Phil Crowder was not so delighted to hear it was a gift for his brother.
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BLAIRGOWRIE • DROMANA • MORNINGTON • ROSEBUD • SEAFORD • TOORAK Frankston Times
6 April 2015
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