Mayor wants reduced hours for gambling
Picture: Supplied
Mentone Hotel to reopen next year THE Mentone Hotel is set to reopen next year. The building was purchased by Momentum Developments in late 2014. An original plan to convert the building into apartments without a substantial pub space was abandoned in 2018 after community pushback (“Mentone Hotel saved’, The News, 18/4/18). Paul Huggins from Momentum Developments said “the restoration of the hotel is well underway, and the heritage listed building will be stunning when it’s completed.” “People will be blown away by the hospitality space,” he said. “It is important we get every detail right and that is not just limited to the commercial business, because there will also be ten apartments within the heritage building.
“Working through the intrinsic design of the heritage building has posed a few challenges, however I’ve never shied away from the responsibility of returning the old girl to her former glory and I’d like to think the 130 year old building will be even more impressive than the day it first opened, by the time we’ve completed all the works.” Save the Edgy was a community group set up to push for more pub space inside the redevelopment. The group’s spokesperson Chris Hill said that the project is “on track” for completion in mid-2021. “I know a lot of people have always been really concerned about whether another beer would be served in the hotel again. There were also concerns on what would happen to the hotel building itself, but we were successful
in both saving the building and ensuring a licensed venue would operate within the refurbished hotel,” he said. “At the beginning of our campaign, getting the Mentone Hotel added to the Victorian Heritage Register was a huge win, as it now has the highest level of Heritage protection. Whilst it’s fair to say that the owner and I didn’t always see eye to eye on certain issues, there has always been a commitment regarding the heritage and the agreement to establish a vibrant licensed venue is a credit to all involved. “Before it closed, the Mentone Hotel traded for 125 years and I’d like to think it will still be welcoming locals like me through the doors in another 125 years’ time.” Brodie Cowburn
KINGSTON has joined 11 other councils to call on the state government to place stricter restrictions on electronic gaming machines. A letter to Premier Daniel Andrews, signed by Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley, calls for the shutdown of pokies venues between midnight and 10am. Kingston has experienced some of the highest gambling losses of all Melbourne municipalities in the last five years. The regulations, if adopted, would reduce poker machine operations from 20 hours per day to 14. Data from the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation showed Kingston gamblers lost $62.08 million on poker machines from July 2019 to March this year. The closure of bars and pubs during Melbourne’s first lockdown switched pokies off from April, saving Kingston’s local economy about $20 million based on past gambling losses. Cr Oxley said the shutdown gave local residents the dual benefit of a “desperately needed” boost to their wallets due to COVID job losses along with a break from gambling establishments. “The shutdown will also have helped people experiencing gambling harm to take a much-needed break from gambling on poker machines and meant they could pay their rent or mortgage, put food on their tables, pay other bills, and perhaps even buy simple things such as a coffee or pizza,” Cr Oxley said. “We can get a silver lining out of COVID-19 if we can see reforms happen in Victoria that will reduce
gambling harm. The entire community will benefit from this.” The Alliance for Gambling Reform endorsed the measures outlined in the letter, which were recommended by the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission. They called for increased autonomy for councils to regulate against gambling harm to their residents. “No level of government is closer to the devastation poker machines cause than the local council representing the people who live with pokies spread throughout their municipality,” Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello said. “There are simply machines deliberately designed to entrance and addict people busily draining money from them and the Kingston economy.” Laura Green
Virus cases declining NO new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Kingston on 13 September, with the number of active cases in the area dropping to 23. Every postcode in the municipality now has under 10 active recorded cases of coronavirus. Cheltenham is the largest local COVID-19 hotspot, with eight active cases as of 13 September. On 13 September there were 1157 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria. Statewide, 723 people have died from the virus since the pandemic began.
ANY SYMPTOMS GET TESTED It’s important to get tested for coronavirus at the first sign of any symptom and stay home until you get your result. Getting tested means you keep yourself, your friends, family, workplace and your community safe. It’s not over yet.
Find out where to get tested visit vic.gov.au/CORONAVIRUS Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne
Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 16 September 2020
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