NEWS DESK
Rail resolution between councils signalled Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au
Door stopping all stations: Two Prime Ministers visited the Frankston line within two months to spruik a Baxter rail extension. No announcement of funding from state Labor before the election may see a third come to visit. Pictures: Gary Sissons
FRANKSTON and Mornington councillors have met behind closed doors to discuss the plan to electrify the Frankston line to Baxter. There had been some discrepancy between Frankston and Mornington councils on the issue, as Mornington Peninsula Shire have pushed to see the track extended beyond Baxter all the way to Hastings. Mornington councillors resolved in November to call on “all political parties … to commit to extending electrification of the Frankston railway line to Hastings in the current Baxter electrification business case”. “The idea for a staged extension, starting with Baxter, leaves the possibility of waiting decades for the electric line to get to Hastings. Council has now decided on a major campaign to push for the electrified rail line to go to Hastings. Hastings is the logical place to end the electrified line because it has plenty of available industrial and residential land,” Mornington councillor David Gill said in November. (“Shire changes track on Hastings line”, The News, 7/11/18) Then mayor of Mornington Shire Bryan Payne also said that Baxter should not be the site for a train stabling area. Frankston Council agreed during their final meeting of the year off the back of their meeting with Mornington Council to invite them “to be part of the delegation to the
FEDERAL MPs Chris Crewther and Greg Hunt visited headspace Frankston on 8 January to announce a $47 million funding boost to head space’s national program. Dunkley MP Chris Crewther said the funding was for “headspace Frankston and all other headspace services to support youth mental health.” Headspace Chair Lisa Paul said “headspace will help approximately 110,000 young people across Australia this year who are experiencing a tough time.” “With one in three young people experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress, this investment will help to strengthen our core services to ensure more young people can access support tailored to their needs.” Headspace said in a statement that the funding would be used to “ensure that the headspace network supporting young people has access to ongoing professional development specific to the needs of young people, raise community awareness that promotes help seeking, increased mental health literacy, and reduced stigma, and undertake research and build the evidence base that supports continuous improvement and best practice for youth mental health.” Local MPs Greg Hunt and Chris Crewther released identical statements on the funding saying “it’s well known that mental health is an issue that is very close to my heart. I am committed to ensuring that Australians can get information, advice, understanding, counselling and treatment, when and where they need it. “I want our young people to know they are not alone on their journey, and that headspace is there to deliver quality frontline support and coordinate the right interventions for people who are at risk.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in October $52 million in extra funding for the organisation for their 2019/20 budget. Liberal government funding cuts and restructuring were cited as the reason for former Headspace CEO Chris Tanti’s departure in 2016.
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Minister to enable clarification of both council’s position” on the train line. Frankston Council CEO Dennis Hovenden said at the last council meeting of the year that “there is concern that there is some mixed messages that could go to the [public transport] minister, which is of concern. One of those mixed messages is around the position that the Mornington Peninsula Shire council has.” “Councillors who attended last week’s dinner and working meeting with Mornington Peninsula Shire know that while the Mornington Peninsula has no problem with the electrification to Langwarrin and Baxter, they certainly do have concerns around the stabling of trains potentially in the green wedge at Baxter and they have a stated desire in perhaps taking the track further down towards Hastings,” he said. Cr Sandra Mayer said ”we met with the Shire last week and the majority of their councillors were there and the majority of our councillors were there. I think we cleared the air, I think it was all laid out on the table, I think it was a very fruitful meeting. We discussed a number of issues, it was really good, and we’ve committed to working together to get a good outcome for both of our municipalities. “Public transport is such an issue down on the peninsula,” she said. Plans for the project are still up in the air, with state Labor funding not yet committed to the project, pending the completion of a business case. The case is slated to be ready early this year.
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Frankston Times
15 January 2019
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