LETTERS
Letters - 300 words maximum and including full name, address and contact number - can be sent to The News, PO Box 588, Hastings 3915 or emailed to: team@mpnews.com.au
Hotel quarantine truth will come out one day The truth will out. Our happy band of locals creating this group of optimists hoping to elect a local, independent MP are being revealed for their true ambition. They look like joining forces with Simon Holmes a’Court and his money aiming to unseat our local MP and federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, under the Voices for Mornington Peninsula banner (“Readying for Flinders election battle” The News 5/10/21). They seem to be nothing more than yet another group of left-leaning faux independents, much like the supporters of [former Liberal MP] Julia Banks who threw their lot in with the son of the disgruntled former prime minister to try to unseat a select band of coalition MPs (unsuccessfully). What is it with the offspring of self-made millionaires who want to spend daddy’s money demolishing the very system that produced the wealth? Now we just have to wait for the truth about hotel quarantine. It will come out one day. Jack Wheeler, Mornington
On the money It is a bit rich for [Flinders MP] Greg Hunt to complain about the outside money potentially being spent in the upcoming campaign for the Flinders electorate (“Readying for Flinders election battle” The News 5/10/21). Mr Hunt’s coalition has no qualms accepting significant donations from the fossil-fuel industry. These donations have in no small part contributed to the coalition’s totally inadequate response to climate change as evidenced by its woeful attempt to even set a target for net zero emissions by 2050. In the forthcoming election campaign, I look forward to Mr Hunt justifying the coalition’s climate policies and, as these policies are meagre at best, I wish him luck with that. Geoff Hilton, Mount Martha
Hunt ‘the best ever’ Britannica states that a political party is a group of persons organised to acquire and exercise political power. The “voices for” groups around the country including Voices for Mornington Peninsula fit this description despite their denials (“Readying for Flinders election battle” The News 5/10/21). Gerard Henderson’s article in 2,3 October The Weekend Australian (“Beware radical left behind Voices of independents”) informs us that Simon Holmes a’Court and his Climate 200 group are funding these groups with over $1.4 million in their kitty. Henderson states that Australians who vote for Holmes a’Court-supported candidates who present as independents should be aware of what millionaire radicals really want. It is the defeat of the [Scott] Morrison-led government and its replacement by a government that is on terms with the green left.
We in the Flinders electorate need to be listening to this as they try to replace MP Greg Hunt, a great local member and the best health minister the nation has ever had. Peter Grey, Rye
Unmasked income I note with interest that someone created a video of [Victorian Premier] Daniel Andrews not wearing a mask and then posting it for folk to see. Was it his celebrity status? Perhaps “Look what I just saw”, or maybe it was a gotcha moment? He apologised and said that if fined he would pay the fine and if given only a warning, donate the funds to a charity. I was out walking about that time and around at the shopping centre and I noticed many people not wearing masks and not even bothering to use the QR code. What an opportunity we have to fill up government coffers with funds from fines or to support the charities. Get videoing folks, they are both worthy causes in these difficult times. Ken Norris, McCrae
Advertisements OK I fully support the Fire Rescue Victoria advertisements promoting professionalism of FRV career firefighters, particularly after the first episode of the ABC television series Fire, which showed some very unprofessional firefighting on the part of volunteer firefighters during the 2019 bushfires (Support CFA” Letters 5/10/21). For example, two inexperienced junior firefighters were put in charge of a fire appliance at a bushfire. The appliance contained no breathing apparatus and no burn-over sprinkler protection. Firefighting gloves were removed during the fire fight, causing one firefighter to get burns to the hands. Some might say that the “Fire” TV series is not representative of the CFA, and it might not be, that it is up to CFA members to judge but, nevertheless, viewers who saw that program might think that is how all fire services operate. The FRV advertisement spells out that FRV-trained professional firefighters have an apprenticeship of four years before they become qualified firefighters and further indepth study to become an officer-in-charge of a fire appliance crew. This ensures that such firefighting anomalies that appeared in the Fires series would not take place. Thus, in my opinion, the ads are well worthwhile. To infer that FRV firefighters are not competent to fight bushfires is an absolute insult to all FRV firefighters including, the 1000 or so professional CFA firefighters that now come under the umbrella of FRV, many of whom came through the volunteer ranks. I just love it when non-unionists complain about unionists getting paid too much.
It is well documented fact that the Australian unionised workforce gets paid much better than the non-unionised workforce. So, I have one bit of good advice: join a union. Rod Knowles, retired professional firefighter, Crib Point
Hillside Reserve, Dromana. I have admired them there ever since I moved down here, but recently saw no sign of these beautiful quirky iconic living creatures. They were here first, after all. Paula Polson, Dromana
Opening news
Missing Scorchers
Good news for Australians in NSW as their home gates open, but do not forget those hundreds and their families who entered the pearly gates. Geoffrey Lane, Mornington
Fine jet-ski rider Jet-skis and their riders are generally held in low regard by the rest of the beachgoing community due to the noise and sometimes negligent behaviour of some riders. The dangerous moron photographed harassing a dolphin has done his fellow users no favours at all (“Dolphins: Steer clear” The News 12/10/21). One hopes that the police follow through and fine this dill the maximum allowable under the law. Dr Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Save the piers It seems our state government is rather unconcerned by the deterioration of Mornington Peninsula piers (“Fears for pier’s future” and “Parks in no hurry to fix jetty” The News 12/10/21). By not adequately financing Parks Victoria, or not requiring it to keep coastal infrastructure in a serviceable condition, our history of past shipping connections to Melbourne and further on to Gippsland are slowly crumbling into the sea. It is a sad state of affairs if Spring Street is so dismissive of Victoria’s past. I wonder if our local Labor MP for Nepean [Chris Brayne] could not help with the retention and refurbishment of Flinders, Dromana, and Mornington piers? It would be a shame to lose this much loved infrastructure from pure neglect. Rupert Steiner, Balnarring
Saving kangaroos I am writing to thank David Gill, the CEO [John Baker] and other Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors that were involved in intervening in the killing of many kangaroos at Cape Schanck (“Holistic way to avoid kangaroo kill is sought” The News 12/10/21). The peninsula community is very vocal in the defence of our amazing wildlife that are part of the fabric of the peninsula. Calls on state ministers went unanswered so I am so grateful that the council has at least started conversations with the farm manager to find a way that these animals can be relocated to the national park. Deborah Webby, Somerville
Keep kangaroos I hope there is no plan to “harvest” the kangaroos grazing alongside black cattle on the generously carpeted paddock adjacent to
Recently tidying up the garden we came on our front and back sprinkler system, mostly well buried or overgrown, and realised that while in the past we used it every summer in hot weather (particularly those 40 degree days), we hadn’t used it for years. The first attempted settlement at Sullivan Bay, Sorrento from October 1803 to February 1804 even had over 40 degrees and bushfires on Arthurs Seat. They also had thunder, lightning, sleet, cold (and in tents bull ants and snakes) and in 1939 Christmas at Dromana a scorcher with bushfires on Arthurs Seat sweeping down into the town when the wind changed and, of all things, burning down the Women Haters Soc Hall. Keith Murley, Blairgowrie
Help cane users It has been revealed that more than 70 per cent of Australian white cane users are put in danger by “everyday’ objects”. Common objects like cars parked across driveways, bins left out on footpaths, dumped bikes or scooters, and even people being distracted by mobile devices can impact the freedom and independence of people with low vision or blindness. On International White Cane Day (15 October), Guide Dogs Australia focused on how everyone can take simple steps to create a safer and more accessible environment for all, especially as communities re-open after extended periods of COVID-19 lockdowns. Our Keep Clear and Carry On campaign highlights the very real impact these everyday objects can have on people living with low vision and blindness - causing them to feel anxious, unsafe and in danger when travelling. This can add to someone’s travel time, change daily routines or even cause some people to withdraw from going about day-to-day life. Everyone has been doing a fantastic job to support one another during the pandemic, including our more vulnerable communities. However, our clients tell us there are still some simple ways we can make our streets more accessible for people with low vision or blindness. Move your bin off the footpath, don’t dump bikes and scooters in public spaces, pop your cafe chair back under the table before you move off, look up from your mobile phone while you’re out and about or call your local council to report issues such as unsafe footpaths or fallen or overgrown branches. White canes are designed to maximise independence and mobility, so this year we want to bring to light the barriers preventing this and raise awareness, so white cane users can carry on with reaching their independent goals. Karen Hayes, CEO Guide Dogs Victoria
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220 Eramosa Road West, Moorooduc. corner of Binnak Way email: admin@somervilleeggfarm.com.au Frankston Times
19 October 2021
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