Electorate boundary changes proposed Councillor says sorry THE boundaries of the Isaacs electorate may slightly change soon under a proposed redistribution. The Australian Electoral Commission released its new proposed electorate boundaries last week. If the changes are made the southern portion of Dandenong would drop out of the Isaacs electorate, while the majority of Lyndhurst would move into it. The electorate’s boundary in Dandenong would move from the train line to the Dandenong Bypass. In Lyndhurst the boundary would move from the Western Port Highway to the train line. Electoral commissioner, Tom Rogers, said “under the proposal, the boundaries of all but nine of Victoria’s existing electoral divisions would change, the additional division of Hawke would be created and one electoral division would be renamed.” “Ongoing population growth in parts of Victoria has led the Redistribution Committee to propose a number of substantial changes to some of the state’s electoral division boundaries,” he said. Isaacs is considered to be a fairly safe seat for the Labor Party. Labor MP Mark Dreyfus was returned at the 2019 election with 56.43 per cent of the twoparty-preferred vote. Labor has held the seat for 25 years. Isaacs runs from Carrum to Moorabbin, and is bordered by Dandenong South on the eastern side. It consists of suburbs from the Kingston, Casey, and Dandenong local government areas. Any written objections to the proposed changes can be made to the AEC at FedRedistribution-VIC@aec.gov.au. They must be lodged no later than 6pm on 16 April.
for offensive video Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au
PROPOSED boundary changes to the Isaacs electorate. Picture: AEC
A KINGSTON councillor has apologised for appearing in a video alongside a crude prop “girlfriend” with a vacuum hose for a mouth. Cr Tim Cochrane says he is “mortified” that the offensive video featuring him has resurfaced on social media. The video shows Cr Cochrane holding a vacuum hose with a crudely drawn depiction of a woman’s face around it. In the video he mockingly says “Tim, you need to get yourself a girlfriend. No I don’t,” before panning to the vulgar prop. Cr Cochrane said the video was posted on social media 10 years ago, and that he is “embarrassed” to watch it now. “This was a very foolish attempt to make a joke I thought was at my own expense, as a young man in my early 20s. I offer no excuses, this kind of stupid attempt at humour isn’t edgy or funny, it’s just dumb and thoughtless,” he said. “I now understand how offensive this video is and I’m extremely sorry. I think as men we need to call this rubbish out at all levels, especially if that means calling out our own past.” Kingston mayor Steve Staikos said “like the rest of the community, my fellow councillors and I were shocked and disappointed when we saw the offensive and inappropriate video. “
“As mayor I have discussed this matter directly with Cr Tim Cochrane who deeply regrets his actions from a decade ago. He has apologised and acknowledged his behaviour at that time was offensive and inappropriate, and in no way reflects his current views or values,” Cr Staikos said. “Kingston Council takes the issues of equality and inclusion in our community very seriously and has taken a proactive role over recent years including developing the Prevention of Family Violence Action Plan 20192021 in partnership with Victoria Police, health organisations and community groups. “All councillors will be undertaking mandatory gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness training.” Cr Staikos said the video did not put Cr Cochrane in violation of council’s code of conduct, which “governs our councillors’ behaviour while they are a councillor and performing the duties of a councillor, not before they were elected.” KINGSTON Cr Tim Cochrane. Picture: Supplied
It’s never you, until it is.
More people die on farms than in other workplaces – let’s change that. You might think you’re bulletproof and know your land like the back of your hand. But accidents can happen to anyone. You can prevent accidents. You can prevent deaths. worksafe.vic.gov.au/agriculture Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 24 March 2021
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