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Union votes no to agreement

Picture: Gary Sissons

FRANKSTON Council employees signed to the Australian Services Union have met and voted to “support a no vote campaign” against council’s proposal for a new enterprise agreement. The ASU is a union representing local government workers. It has approximately 135,000 members. An ASU statement read that members chose to oppose the new agreement due to “FCC refusing to backdate the wage increase to 1 April 2019, FCC showing total disregard to the lowest-paid workers at council and refusing to increase the wage percentage for bands 1-3, FCC refusing to provide certainty for those members who currently have parking provided” and “FCC implementing a limit on the Christmas shutdown period with

some weekend workers now disadvantaged.” A statement from the ASU read that one point of contention was that “current employees who have access to parking free of charge have been advised that this is being reviewed and FCC have given an indication that they intend to remove that provision. FCC has refused to negotiate this in bargaining. The move away from providing parking will see some members out of pocket, effectively negating a part of any wage increase.” ASU members met on 11 September to discuss and vote on a way forward for the enterprise agreement. Information on council’s previous enterprise agreements can be found at fwc.gov.au where the documents are published.

Picture: Gary Sissons

Reports ‘back’ rail extension THE release of two new transport infrastructure reports have highlighted the “many benefits” of extending the Frankston rail line, says the Committee for Greater Frankston. C4GF, a lobby group, pointed out that two new reports from Rail Futures Institute and Prosper Australia–Chris Hale “strongly back” the proposed rail extension. They said that the institutes’ report “calls for the extension to be built by 2026” and that the PA-Hale report “says nine urgently needed rail projects including the Frankston to Baxter

extension can be fast-tracked by using more progressive funding models”. G4GF Ginevra Hosking said “the rail extension with its many benefits is not guaranteed because extending the line requires both federal and state government support.” “The federal government has allocated $225 million of funding in the commonwealth budget, about half the estimated cost of an extension to Langwarrin, but the Victorian Labor government has yet to commit to the project. If the Victorian government doesn’t

back the project, it cannot go ahead,” she said. “The extension’s benefits are well understood. It will transform public transport in our region, provide better access to jobs up the line, get cars off congested roads, free up crowded car parks in Frankston’s CBD, and create a metro station at Frankston Hospital and the nearby Monash University Peninsula campus. “We’re greatly anticipating the release of the state government’s overdue business case for the extension.”

Submissions open on golf course future Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au THE Save Kingswood group will make a submission to the newly formed Golf Course Redevelopment Standing Advisory Committee in a bid to shape the future of land at Dingley Village’s Peninsula Kingswood golf course. The 54-hectare Kingswood site was purchased for $125 million in 2014, and ASRP1 took possession of the land on 31 January. The developer’s plan to subdivide the land and build a little under 800 residential dwellings was knocked back by Kingston Council in October

last year when they unanimously voted to abandon the planning scheme amendment after over 8000 public submissions were made. The final say ultimately comes down to the planning minister. A golf course redevelopment standing advisory committee was appointed last month to “review and provide the minister for planning advice on draft planning guidelines for golf course redevelopment and advise on proposals for redevelopment of golf course land within the urban growth boundary of metropolitan Melbourne.” Public submissions to the committee opened on 2 September, and will close at 5pm on 30 September. The

committee will then consider those submissions and can choose to host public workshops, which will likely take place on the week beginning 21 October. The committee must make a submission of its report to the planning minister no later than 40 days from the collection of submissions. A public briefing was held on 12 September for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to present an overview of their draft planning guidelines for golf course redevelopment. On 4 September, the Save Kingswood group announced via their Facebook page that they had “agreed to provide a submission to the newly formed golf planning and advisory

committee.” “This will be based on all the issues Dingley Village and the broader community identified during the proposed rezoning by Australian Super/ISPT. Specifically that we believe rezoning is of no net benefit to our community and our determination to maintain Kingston Council’s golf course policy which will keep Kingswood open space,” the announcement read. A statement on the Kingswood Dingley Village website read “the owner and developer of the 53-hectare vacant site in the heart of Dingley Village welcomes the minister of planning’s announcement to establish the golf course redevelopment standing advisory committee.”

“Site owner AustralianSuper and development manager ISPT understand the purpose of the committee is to review draft planning guidelines for golf course redevelopment and make recommendations on how the guidelines could be operationalised in the Victorian planning system. “The minister’s recent announcement is a welcomed opportunity to prepare a refreshed amendment proposal to develop the site, working closely with the community and addressing requirements of the planning guidelines.” Submissions can be made and more information is available at engage.vic. gov.au/golf-course-redevelopmentstanding-advisory-committee

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Frankston Times

24 September 2019

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