NEWS DESK
Sky rail ‘grounded’ Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THERE will be no extended sky rail from Mordialloc to Frankston along the Frankston line. Labor Transport Minister Jacinta Allan declared at last weekend “there has never been a plan for extended elevated rail on the Frankston line”. The state minister in the Andrews government decided to step in and end speculation about sky rail being built along the full rail line amid a doublecrossed. com.au flyer campaign, financed by the Liberal Party, in the federal seat of Isaacs urging voters to “put Labor last” and vote against federal MP Mark Dreyfus since “Labor is now planning to build Sky Rail lines four stories [sic] high near you on parts of the Frankston line”. “We will not be building a Dandenong line-style ‘sky rail’ on the Frankston line. Any allegations we will are false,” Ms Allan said in a statement. Mr Dreyfus slammed the Liberal Party for its “dishonest campaign” against sky rail on the Frankston line. “It is, and always has been, a totally false representation of the state government’s plans to improve safety on the Frankston line and to improve travel times for those using the roads,” he said in a statement. Mr Dreyfus noted the doublecrossed. com.au flyer and associated website are authorised by ‘S. Frost’, who “although it was not stated”, is the state director of the Victorian Liberal Party. Liberal state opposition spokesman for planning David Davis called the wording of the Labor statement “slip-
Railing against elevated rail: Residents living near the Frankston line are protesting against any possibility of sky rail along any part of the line. Pic: Gary Sissons
pery” and said Ms Allan had not ruled out elevated rail. The Level Crossing Removal Authority, a state Department of Transport body, will next month announce options for level crossing removals along the Frankston line. Earlier this month Frankston Council decided not to follow Kingston Council’s lead in formally opposing elevated rail along any part of the Frankston line. Frankston councillors decided to defer a vote on the divisive matter until 18 July. Decisions on whether elevated rail or road under rail is more appropriate are still to be made for crossings at Balcombe Rd (Mentone), Charman Rd (Cheltenham), Edithvale Rd (Edithvale), Eel Race Rd (Carrum), Seaford Rd (Sea-
ford), Skye/Overton Rd (Frankston), Station St (Bonbeach), Station St (Carrum). Road under rail works are underway at three level crossings at North Rd (Ormond), Centre Rd (Bentleigh) and McKinnon Rd (McKinnon). The LXRA will release options for level crossings removals in July before final decisions are made at the end of the year. LXRA project director Adam Maguire said planning and consultation is continuing for the eight remaining level crossing removals along the Frankston line. “This is quite unlike the Caulfield to Dandenong project where the Level Crossing Authority is removing all nine crossings between these two suburbs.”
Hidden agenda for secret council meeting A CLOSED meeting between five Frankston councillors took place last Wednesday (15 June) in an apparent attempt to silence four councillors who decided not to attend the meeting. The meeting was not listed on council’s website and councillors met behind closed doors to discuss changes to council’s media and communications policy. While communication was high on the meeting attendees’ minds last week, council was not willing to communicate the reason for the meeting. When asked for a copy of the Special Meeting agenda council’s media and communications department advised late on Friday that since the meeting was “a closed meeting” no information, including the reason for the meeting, would be provided to the public. Special Meetings, which can be called between council regular monthly Ordinary Meetings, are usually listed on councils’ websites and an agenda is also published even if a Special Meeting is closed to the public. Further questions asking who called last Wednesday’s meeting and who decided to keep the meeting secret were not answered by council before deadline. The Times understands the meeting was called by Crs Glenn Aitken, Brian Cunial and Colin Hampton and council CEO Dennis Hovenden notified councillors that the meeting would be closed to the public. The three councillors who called the meeting attended the Special Meeting alongside mayor Cr James Dooley and Cr Sandra Mayer. Crs Darrel Taylor, Suzette Tayler, Mi-
chael O’Reilly and Rebekah Spelman did not turn up, seemingly sensing councillor voting numbers by a ‘gang of five’ were almost certainly stacked against them. In May last year The Times reported on an attempt to stop councillors speaking to the media, even when expressing personal opinion and not official council policy, without first consulting the mayor and CEO (‘Councillors’ free speech threatened’, The Times 18/5/15). Last year’s attempt to amend council policy to effectively silence councillors was deferred when some councillors expressed concern about attempts to try to control what they say. Last week’s secret meeting seems like a second try – this time on the sly – to shut down public comments by some councillors. It is believed that the five councillors who were at last Wednesday’s 7pm meeting also discussed restrictions on councillors posting comments on online social media sites such as Facebook. Councillors are elected representatives, not employees of council, and as such should be able to express opinions without being gagged by council. Differences of opinion between Frankston’s councillors have regularly erupted at public council meetings since late last year. All councillors have twice been ordered from council chamber by the meeting chairperson to continue heated debate away from public view amid accusations of “bullying” and personal attacks. Neil Walker
Charities step in to help homeless Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au A COALITION of the willing will step in to fill the void left by the closure of City Life’s cafe and restaurant that provided free meals to Frankston’s homeless and vulnerable. Frankston Labor MP Paul Edbrooke announced last week that disability services organisation Wallara will work with charity Wintringham “to provide affordable housing, outreach services, meals production and training opportunities for people with disabilities” at Wintringham’s Angus Martin House in Frankston. Pastor Mark Whitby announced the closure of the Clyde St Mall cafe this month with con-
struction on a $16 million five-storey apartment set to begin at the charity’s rented premises after negotiations over several months with the state government over alternative accommodation for the charity failed to reach an agreement. Mr Edbrooke had previously revealed Wintringham had accepted $300,000 in state government funding to provide meal and support services in Frankston. “I am also working with Frankston City Council, Community Support Frankston, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Peninsula Health to ensure that the integrated care services previously delivered at City Life will continue to be provided to our community’s most needy,” Mr Edbrooke said in a statement last week. “I said I would ensure that these vital services
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for our most needy would be secured for the future and I have. This network of partnerships will create long term and increased capacity to assist the broad cross section of disadvantaged people in our community.” Statements issued by Winteringham, Wallara, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Peninsula Health welcomed the opportunity to help homeless and disadvantaged people in Frankston with the aid of state government funding on top of the $300,000 accepted by Wintringham. “Through our partnership with the state government, we are delighted to be extending our current service delivery in Frankston by making available our kitchen at our recently acquired Angus Martin House for the production of meals,” Wintringham CEO Bryan Lipmann said.
“In addition to this important meals production and training service with Wallara, we are also providing 43 units of affordable housing and outreach services to address the housing and support needs of older homeless people in our community. Wintringham’s recent purchase of Angus Martin house in Frankston has been enabled by the generosity of the Peter and Lyndy White Foundation.” Frankston mayor Cr James Dooley said council will offer meals and support services from some of its community centres. “During the period between City Life meals closure and the Wintringham and Wallara meals service commencing, we will provide meals for distribution from our Meals on Wheels service,” he said.
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Frankston Times 20 June 2016
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