NEWS DESK
Shire seeks metro break Keith Platt keith@baysidenews.com.au
Hospital marks a medical milestone A SPECIALIST surgeon has performed the Mornington Peninsula’s first liver resection using a surgical robot. Associate Professor Charles Pilgrim performed the surgical-first earlier this month at Peninsula Private Hospital. The patient was a 49-year-old woman whose bowel cancer had spread to her liver. Dr Pilgrim, the first surgeon in Victoria to use the da Vinci Xi robot for liver resections, said the cutting edge technology was great news for the hospital. “Using the da Vinci Xi robot means
we can perform surgery with the minimally invasive approach more often, expanding what is possible using the keyhole approach,” Dr Pilgrim said. “There are areas of the liver that you can get to with the robot that you just can’t get to with traditional laparoscopic surgery. The instruments give you more flexibility to give more precise directions in hard-to-reach areas.” Peninsula Private CEO Michelle Henderson said the patient was able to receive all of her cancer treatment close to home, without having to travel into Melbourne. “We have a fantastic team of spe-
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cialists here and this year we became the first in the region to offer patients access to the da Vinci Xi robot technology,” Ms Henderson said. It was significant that the patient had been able to see Mr Stewart Skinner for her bowel surgery, oncologist Dr Simone Steel for her chemotherapy and Dr Pilgrim for her liver surgery at the Frankston hospital. “To have that continuity of care is something we’re really proud to bring to this region because we’re focused on providing locals with access to top medical care close to home,” Ms Henderson said.
MONEY and planning are behind the latest motivations to reassess the status of the Mornington Peninsula. Officially designated as part of metropolitan Melbourne, the peninsula is regarded as being regional when it comes to some services, such as fire protection from the Country Fire Authority. This split identification can also mean that Mornington Peninsula Shire is prohibited from applying for some federal and state government grants. However, if the shire is officially regarded as regional, it would lose the protection of green wedge planning restrictions. The solution being sought by the shire is for the peninsula to go half way and be designated peri-regional and, hopefully, retain most of the benefits of being metropolitan. The shire will by October seek the opinions of peninsula residents through an online poll. Advocacy facilitator Emma Lindsay, in a report to council’s 13 July meeting, said that “the debate surrounding the current metropolitan classification … is a complex issue including significant planning, land use and administrative implications”. “Most of our community are not aware of the complexities involved beyond COVID lockdown, which necessitate careful analysis and consideration, beyond a yes or no vote,” Ms Lindsay said.
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There has been widespread anger from residents faced with the same restrictions during lockdowns as those imposed on metropolitan Melbourne. Ms Lindsay - who described the peninsula as having a hybrid urban and rural character - cautioned councillors against pushing for a change in the peninsula’s status until it had “a clear advocacy position, informed and validated by external and independent research”. A timetable would be “dictated” through negotiations “with the successful company procured, to deliver supporting external data”. “At this point, the shire will be in a better position to share the reasons for our proposed way forward with the community, so they can make an informed decision about their view.” Ms Lindsay said a peri-urban group of councils had successfully persuaded the state government to let them access the Growing Suburbs Fund. “This advocacy approach looks beyond our metropolitan status to address the unique mix of urban and regional challenges across the Mornington Peninsula, while potentially preserving the Green Wedge Zone and avoiding other significant financial costs to the shire,” Ms Lindsay said. “The external support will further inform our case for access to regional Victoria funding, where clear and comparable regional issues exist. “This will help enable the local tourism and agricultural sectors to reach their full economic potential, where they are currently overlooked by metropolitan focused funds.”
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Don’t bet against the house this tax time THE Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is reminding property investors to beware of common tax traps that can delay refunds or lead to an audit costing taxpayers time and money. In 2019–20, over 1.8 million Australians owned rental properties and claimed $38 billion in deductions. Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh said that the most common mistake rental property and holiday homeowners make is neglecting to declare all their income. This includes failing to declare any capital gains from selling an investment property. “To put it simply, you should expect tax consequences for any property that you earn income from that isn’t your main residence.” “We are expanding the rental income data we receive directly from third-party sources
such as sharing economy platforms, rental bond authorities, and property managers. We will contact taxpayers about income they’ve received but haven’t included in their tax return. This will mean they need to repay some of their refund. The ATO often allows taxpayers who have made genuine errors to amend their returns without penalty. But deliberate attempts to avoid tax on rental income will see the ATO take action,” Mr Loh said. “People should remember that there’s no such thing as free real estate when it comes to their tax returns. Our data analytics scrutinise returns for rental deductions that seem unusually high. We will ask questions, and this may lead to a delay in processing your return.” “So far we have adjusted more than 70% of the 2019–20 returns selected for a review of rental
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information.” “Most people we contact about their rental deductions are able to justify their claims. However, there are instances where we have to knock back claims where taxpayers didn’t keep receipts, claimed for personal use, or claimed for ineligible deductions,” Mr Loh said. We often reject claims for interest charges on personal loan amounts and immediate claims for the full amount for capital works (for example, a kitchen renovation), so it is vital that you have good records. If you take out a loan to buy a rental property and rent it out at market rates, the interest on that loan is deductible. However, if you redraw money from that mortgage for personal use, such as buying a boat, or going on a holiday, you can’t claim the interest on that part of the loan.
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Frankston Times
10 August 2021
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