NEWS DESK
First meeting for new council Continued from Page 1 The new Frankston Council met for the first time last week, with each giving a short speech to introduce themselves to the community. Cr Conroy told fellow councillors he was “blown away” with his primary result, which saw him elected by a huge margin. “This is a clear mandate for change within this council,” he said. “I campaigned on a number of issues, and I intend to work with the CEO, officers, and fellow councillors to work towards making those happen. I will be putting families first over the next four years, advocating for infrastructure that is required in Carrum Downs, Langwarrin, Sandhurst, and Skye. I will speak to existing and new entrepreneurs to decide what is needed for our local economy to thrive.” Cr Steven Hughes said that driving under an untidy overpass on the Frankston Freeway “is the spark that ignited my desire to run for council.” “The overpass is symptomatic of how Frankston has overlooked the small details that impact residents’
daily lives,” he said. “To achieve a better Frankston we must first fix the high rates residents pay. During these uncertain times it’s not right that Frankston residents pay the highest average rates in the region, while having the lowest median house price. My first motion in council will be to allocate the COVID hardship rates waiver automatically to all Frankston residents without the need to apply for it.” His son, Cr Liam Hughes, said “as the youngest councillor in Frankston City’s history I am here to give a voice to everyone, especially the youth who need to be heard.” “Imagine a place full of restaurants, activities, and fun. One full of year-long things to do for all people from all walks of life. As a lifetime vegetarian I want to have a vegetarian and vegan festival. I also want more arts and music festivals to promote homegrown Frankston talent.” Cr Sue Baker told the community that “placing your trust in me to get involved has been quite overwhelming, and I am looking forward to
building a high performance organisation culture. [I will be] looking to developing an inclusive community consultation approach that supports, and really focuses on delivering some great service.” Cr Claire Harvey said “I commit to holding true to the values that are consistently affirmed during our campaign - putting people and planet first, working to strengthen engagement and democratic participation, and working hard to make sure our most vulnerable community members are not left behind.” Returning Crs Brad Hill, David Asker, and Suzette Tayler each thanked voters for returning them to council. “We can only have success by working together, and listening to each other. We can only achieve if we work together in the council chamber,” Cr Hill said. “We have an opportunity to raise the bar higher”. Cr Asker said “it gives me great pride” to be elected and Cr Tayler said she committed to “make our city vibrant again”.
FRANKSTON mayor Kris Bolam (R) and deputy mayor Nathan Conroy (L). Picture: Supplied
THE new MRI machine being used at Frankston Hospital. Picture: Supplied
New scanner at hospital A NEW MRI scanner has been installed at Frankston Hospital. The SIGNA Artist MRI machine will allow the hospital to perform 4000 more scans each year. Peninsula Health operations director for imaging and pathology Andrew Bickell said “we are developing world-leading healthcare here in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. Our new scanner is faster and has the latest computing power. That means we can conduct quicker scans at a wider scope, and get better diagnostics.” The hospital is working in partnership with GE Healthcare, which helped them to get the scanner. “We are pleased to support Peninsula Health in its endeavours to bring more personalised healthcare to patients through leading technology,”
GE Healthcare CEO Matt Tucker said. The new machine features two dockable tables to help transfers patients quicker, a tiltable head coil, and a monitor for patients’ breathing so that patients having abdominal scans don’t have to hold their breath. A Peninsula Health statement read that the machine would allow for the hospital to “conduct faster scans and correct for artefacts caused by motion. Through this, we can get diagnostic scans on paediatric and confused patients who would usually have to be sedated.” “Overall, this technology allows for a greater number of difficult scans as we can now scan around patient breathing, more quickly, requiring less sedation than previously possible with our previous machine.”
EVERY TEST HELPS Every test helps us keep on top of this virus. So even if your symptoms are mild, or you’ve been tested before, every test helps.
For testing locations visit CORONAVIRUS.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne Frankston Times
24 November 2020
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