Leadership spills divide MPs
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Get snap happy with OptiKA 2018! Entries are now open for Kingston’s annual OptiKA photography competition. In celebration of its 10 year anniversary, the OptiKA photography competition (formerly known as Lens Mist) has introduced a new category for video entries. Entries will be exhibited at the Kingston Arts Centre in December and at DFO Moorabbin in May 2019. Entries close 1 October at 5pm. ENTER ONLINE kingstonarts.com.au
Only way is up? Flinders MP Greg Hunt, left, Dunkley MP Chris Crewther and new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, right, at Frankston Hospital in May. Picture: Gary Sissons
Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au A BRUTAL week in Canberra as the Liberal Party bickered over its leadership has seen local federal MPs support different potential leaders. Dunkley MP Chris Crewther nailed his vote publicly to incoming prime minister Scott Morrison who defeated Peter Dutton 45-40 in Friday’s second Liberal party room leadership spill. Liberal MP Mr Crewther publicly expressed support for Scott Morrison before Friday’s leadership spill vote. ”If there is a party room meeting, a spill motion is successful, and the PM chooses of his own volition to resign and not contest, then there would be an open contest,” Mr Crewther wrote on Facebook on Friday morning before the vote. “In that situation, I would support Treasurer Scott Morrison for the leadership.” Flinders MP Greg Hunt kept a lower profile but it was widely reported he was positioning himself to run as deputy to Mr Dutton. Mr Hunt started the week as both Health Minister and “a supporter” of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and ended the week outside of cabinet losing a bid to become deputy Liberal Party leader. Mr Hunt voted for challenger Mr Dutton in the first leadership spill ballot on Tuesday morning, then pledged loyalty to “the Prime Minister” in Parliament on Wednesday, before again voting for Mr Dutton on Friday. The Flinders MP handed in his resignation letter as Health Minister to Mr Turnbull on Thursday morning citing “an irretrievable loss of support for the leadership and loss of Party unity within both the Ministry and broader Party Room”. Mr Hunt’s decision not to support Mr Turnbull
in the first leadership spill vote on Tuesday came three years after he told The News he believed in cabinet loyalty during leadership votes. When Mr Turnbull ousted Tony Abbott as prime minister in September that year, then environment minister Mr Hunt said: “I supported Malcolm Turnbull when I was a member of Mr Turnbull’s shadow cabinet in 2009 and equally, as a matter of deep personal principle and duty, I remained loyal to Mr Abbott as a member of his cabinet and voted accordingly.” Questions sent to Mr Hunt’s office asking why he did not vote for Mr Turnbull as party leader while in cabinet last week went unanswered before publication deadline. Mr Hunt was widely criticised for voting for Mr Dutton on Tuesday morning before publicly backing Mr Turnbull the following day in Parliament. “I do support the Prime Minister. Let me be absolutely clear,” Mr Hunt said in Parliament before the second leadership vote. In the immediate aftermath of the 45-40 vote in favour of Mr Morrison, ABC News political editor Andrew Probyn said Mr Hunt’s “integrity” over the past week was “questionable”. Mr Hunt put his hand up to be deputy leader to Mr Morrison in Friday’s party room votes, but lost up to Josh Frydenberg. Former deputy leader Julie Bishop was eliminated in the first ballot to become prime minister before Mr Dutton and Mr Morrison faced off to be leader of the federal Liberal Party and prime minister. On Friday afternoon, Mr Hunt released a media statement praising Mr Morrison and Mr Frydenberg as “great friends”. Mr Hunt has been reinstated as Health Minister in Mr Morrison’s cabinet.
YOUR RATES NOTICE
Keep an eye out in your letter box (or inbox) for your 2018/19 City of Kingston Rates Notice. Rates are payable by all property owners, and contribute to the revenue used to deliver capital works and essential services in Kingston. You can also now conveniently receive your rates notice via email. READ MORE kingston.vic.gov.au/rates
GREENER ROADS
Household recycling from Kingston’s yellow bins is being given a new lease of life, with 15 local streets repaved with recycled materials in recent months. Through a partnership with the Alex Fraser Group, around 105,000 glass bottles – equal to 3750 wheelie bins – were converted into road building products and used to resurface streets in Clayton South, Waterways, Mordialloc, Braeside and Moorabbin. The project has has helped reduce landfill by 300 tonnes, carbon emissions by 2,807 kilograms and extraction of natural resources by 327 tonnes. READ MORE kingston.vic.gov.au
MYGOV WORKSHOP
Learn how to sign up to and use the myGov Australian Government system at a hands-on workshop this September. The workshop will be held 10am-11.30am Wednesday 5 September at Westall Library. Staff from the Department of Human Services will run the session. BYO your own laptop, tablet or phone, or use one of the library PCs. Bookings essential - call 1300 135 668 or visit any library branch. READ MORE kingston.vic.gov.au/library
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Cash for classes at community centre THE Patterson Lakes Community Centre is set to receive a funding boost from the state government, with nearly $15,000 of ratepayers’ money to be directed to the centre. The centre is one of 162 community houses that will share in a $21.8 million investment announced last week. Member for Carrum Sonya Kilkenny said that neighbourhood houses are a “wonderful part of Victoria”. “From gardening lessons to IT training, there’s always support, advice and a helping
hand to be found at neighbourhood houses. It is wonderful to be able to increase their funding,” Ms Kilkenny said. The funding is set to be used to pay for staff to provide extra coordination hours. These additional hours may be used for language classes, computer tutoring, health and wellbeing activities, life skills lessons, self-help groups and occasional childcare. Kingston Council allocated $29,000 in funding to the centre last year for repairs after the building was damaged in a fire.
Shape the future of Cheltenham and Mentone Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
29 August 2018
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