NEWS DESK
Pet registrations due soon PET registration renewal notices will begin popping up in letterboxes this month. Payment is due for pet registration renewals on 10 April. Frankston mayor Sandra Mayer said “pet registration fees go towards funding animal pound services, facilities for pets including dog parks, poo bins and bags, responsible ownership educational initiatives and events such as the annual Pet’s Day Out in Ballam Park.” “In the last 12 months council has been able to return more than 750 lost animals’ home thanks to those owners being responsible and registering their pets,” she said. “Each year, shelters around the country are inundated with
animals that have been found wandering the streets. Unfortunately, if those animals are not registered, it makes it extremely difficult to find their owners.” Pet owners can pay registration fees or update their contact details at frankston.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 322 322
FRANKSTON resident Olivia with dog Moses. Picture: Supplied
On track: Work being undertaken between Mentone and Cheltenham by the LXRP. Picture: Supplied
More train replacements scheduled RAILS users are faced with two months of bus replacements on the Frankston line starting from May. The state government announced last week that starting from 23 May, buses will replace trains between Moorabbin and Mordialloc for an eight week period. Buses will also replace trains between the two stations for one week between 20 March and 27 March. Train stations in Mentone and Cheltenham are also set to close later this
month, with work underway to replace them. The two stations will close on 20 March, with the new stations set to open in the middle of the year. Train services will run express through both Mentone and Cheltenham stations from 28 March to 22 May, with buses scheduled to connect passengers to nearby stations. Transport minister Jacinta Allan said “we’ve got nearly 120 major road and rail projects on the go across the state
and this autumn we’ll ramp up works on some of the biggest of them.” “I thank passengers and motorists for their patience while we get this critical work done and encourage them to plan ahead,” she said. Motorists will be made to put up with detours as well, with Park Road, Cheltenham closed between Hall Street and the Cheltenham Park gate from 20 March to 24 April. More details at ptv.vic.gov.au
Rallying to save Centrelink Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au A PUBLIC rally is being held to keep the existing Centrelink and Medicare offices in Mornington. The rally will start outside the Centrelink offices, 332 Main Street, at 2pm Wednesday 18 March. The public show of support is the latest salvo in the fight to retain the busy offices which are slated to close 30 March and replaced by a part-time agency over 15 hours a week. Among those scheduled to attend are Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Sam Hearn, fellow councillors and Dunkley MP Peta Murphy.
Anger at the forced closure is growing with a petition at the Mornington Community Information and Support Centre (MCISC) carrying 3484 signatures as of last Friday. Ms Murphy will present it to the House of Representatives when complete. The agency solution was described as a sell-out of residents’ needs by Cr Hearn said last week. He was speaking after health minister and Flinders MP Greg Hunt announced that tenders had been invited for a scaled down version of the full-time centres. “I’m far from convinced that the current proposal will be enough to meet the needs of local residents,” Cr
Hearn said. “We’ve been advocating for more core services for the Mornington Peninsula and we will continue to do so. We are calling on the federal government to improve the range of services available at Mornington, not reduce them.” The information centre’s manager Stuart Davis-Meehan described the proposed 15-hour service as “grossly inadequate”. He wrote to Mr Hunt to say despite numbers seeking face-to-face support at Centrelink offices had fallen by 40 per cent over five years there were “still on average 160 people a day (800 a week) who prefer this option
and are currently attending the Mornington Centrelink office”. He said his “initial excitement about [Mr Hunt’s] announcement that the services had been retained in Mornington” had cooled after he “considered the detail”. Late last week Mr Hunt said the agent tender “until 30 June 2020 [is] standard practice as all Services Australia agent contracts are offered for a maximum of one year aligned with the financial year”. “There is an ongoing commitment to agent services in Mornington over future years for as long as the Mornington community utilise the service.”
Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen said the change was in response to a “significant reduction in customers visiting the service centre”. “Customers from the Mornington area can continue to access the Frankston and Rosebud service centres,” he said Cr Hearn said increased foot traffic at other Centrelink sites would increase congestion and queue waiting times. “The shire was not advised or consulted on this matter, nor was the local community, and the intended closure date gives very little time for service users to make other arrangements,” he said.
12 - 15 March, 2020 Thursday 11am to 5pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm
Mornington Racecourse 320 Racecourse Road, Mornington www.greatoutdoorexpos.com.au Caravans & Campers - Motorhomes - Boats - Fishing Gear - 4x4 - Metal Detectors - Travel & Adventure - Food & Wine - Camping Gear - Demos Frankston Times
10 March 2020
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