NEWS DESK
Flag protocols fly at half mast MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors are being asked to fly the Aboriginal flag at half-mast on shire buildings on Australia Day next year, 26 January. Cr Sarah Race says the gesture would “recognise our First Nations people and their sorrow on this day [26 January was declared a day of mourning by Aboriginal Australians in 1938]”. Flag protocols set out by the Commonwealth and followed by the shire prevent the Australian national flag being flown at half-mast on Australia Day. However, the shire’s flag rules allow the Aboriginal flag to be flown
at half-mast as a sign of mourning after the death of a local Aboriginal elder or significant person within the community. Commonwealth rules state that “where one flag is flown at half-mast, the other flags should also be flown at half-mast as a sign of respect”. Shire officers in the agenda for the public meeting on Tuesday 14 December, said the Aboriginal flag can be flown at half-mast on 26 January but “in doing so will need to retain the national flag at full-mast, contrary to the advice of the Commonwealth flag master”. The officers said a decision to fly the Aboriginal flag at half-mast has
“no apparent legal implications”. Background on the agenda to Cr Race’s move to lower the Aboriginal flag mentions council’s reconciliation action plan “to walk together with courage to understand, respect, value and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, arts and cultures as part of the intrinsic identity of the Mornington Peninsula for the benefit of the whole community”. No mention is made of the Torres Strait islands flag being flown at halfmast or top of the mast on Australia Day. Keith Platt
ONE of the differences at next year’s Australia Day celebrations on the Mornington Peninsula could see the Aboriginal flag flown at half-mast.
Crewther preselected
BMX racer Julijana Vrapcenjak with her trophies. Picture: Supplied
Racing for success A YEAR 6 student from Toorak College has finished second in her age group in the BMX Victoria state titles. Julijana Vrapcenjak trains most days, sometimes twice a day. Her mother, Zoe Vrapcenjak, said Julijana’s “hard work, grit and determination” had helped prepare her for the challenges of competitive BMX racing. As well as from her family, she gets a lot of support from her teachers and the wider school community. “Toorak has provided me with the platform and encouragement to pursue my passions, no matter what they may be,” Julijana said. “Not many girls compete in BMX racing so I’m proud to be an example to the other girls at school to follow their dreams.” She is now preparing for this month’s 2021 Auscycling BMX national championships in Queensland.
FORMER Dunkley MP Chris Crewther has been preselected to contest the state seat of Mornington at next year’s election. The former federal Liberal MP defeated incumbent Mornington MP David Morris for preselection. Mr Morris has been the member for Mornington for 16 years. Mornington is considered a safe seat for the Liberal Party. Labor has never held the seat. Mr Crewther also put his hand up for preselection for his old federal seat of Dunkley earlier this year, but was defeated by Sharn Coombes. Mr Crewther was the member for Dunkley for just one term, losing the seat to Labor’s Peta Murphy in 2019. In a statement on Facebook, Mr Crewther said he will “passionately advocate for local issues, whether it’s making Mornington Peninsula regional, restoring Mount Martha North Beach, building sporting infrastructure at places like Emil Madsen Reserve, protecting our green wedge, bringing back passenger rail services to Baxter and Mornington East, improving local health and aged care services, upgrading our local schools (already bursting at the seams), supporting local small businesses, and more.”
Has Your Boat Been in Lockdown? Don’t Spread Marine Pests! Check. Clean. Dry. • Check your vessel and equipment for any attached animals, seaweeds and plants — remove them. Do not return marine pests to Westernport.
Lathams Road Eastbound Closure We’re building extra lanes and upgrading intersections to make it quicker, easier and safer to get where you need to be.
• Clean your vessel and equipment after use with freshwater. • Dry your vessel and equipment thoroughly before moving to a new location. • Application of appropriate anti-fouling coatings can help minimise the build-up of biofouling on underwater surfaces.
Areas that you should check, clean and dry The images below identify cleaning areas that are most likely to host marine pests.
Lathams Road will be closed eastbound between Colemans Road and Frankston-Dandenong Road from Tuesday 4 January until the end of January 2022. Detours will be in place. During the closure we’ll build a new service lane and shared use path, install safety barriers and undertake kerbing and asphalting works. Find out if you’re affected at bigbuild.vic.gov.au
By permission from Agriculture Victoria www.vic.gov.au/marine-pests For more on our recent marine pest survey in Westernport Bay see www.wppcinc.org
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne
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Frankston Times
14 December 2021
Funded by the Commonwealth Stronger Communities Environment Program.