NEWS DESK
Fined for axed trees A FRANKSTON land owner has a hefty bill to pay after a legal win for council. Six trees at the land owner’s premises on Hillcrest Road were chopped down without a permit resulting in fines of $6000 plus payment of council’s legal fees after council took legal action. Frankston mayor Cr Colin Hampton said council understands trees may need to be pruned or removed but it can only be done when necessary and with council approval. “Illegal tree removal is a problem which has a significant cost to the community through the loss of visual amenity and the many environmental benefits that trees provide such as air purification, important habitat for our fauna, shade, wind-breaks and erosion control,” the mayor said. “This is an important win for council and should serve as an important reminder to the community to ensure the removal of trees is done only with a valid permit.” The offender was found guilty in court under the Tree Protection Local Law No 22 that came into force in April 2016 to protect trees on private land. In some cases under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, criminal conviction can be given for removal, lopping or destruction of a tree protected under a Section 173 agreement, resulting in penalties of up to $190,000. Anyone witnessing illegal tree removal or vandalism should call council on 1300 322 322 or at frankston.vic.gov.au online.
Mental health art AN art competition and exhibition for young people is being held to celebrate the inaugural Victorian Youth Week. Our Mental Health Matters Exhibition will be held 6-8pm, Friday 20 April, at Southern Peninsula Art Centre, Eastbourne Road, Rosebud. Entries will complement an information session by Headspace Frankston. Applications close 5pm, Monday 16 April and several cash prizes are on offer. Youth Week 2018 runs from 13-22 April. Details: mpys.com.au/art
PROPOSED changes to the boundaries of Victorian federal electorates almost halve the seat of Flinders held by Liberal Greg Hunt, while the neighbouring seat of Dunkley held by Liberal MP Chris Crewther moves slightly north into parts of Isaacs. The changes – which create a new seat of Monash from the eastern and northern parts of Flinders – are designed to reflect population growth so that each electorate has a similar number of voters and have been made to accomodate a new electorate to be called Fraser in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Mr Hunt’s Flinders electorate could be scaled back to cover only the Mornington Peninsula (excluding Mt Eliza) and French Island. Cut from Flinders are large areas in the cities of Casey and Cardinia and the Shire of Bass Coast, including Phillip Island. Added to Flinders is that part of Baxter north of Baxter-Tooradin Road and from Bentons Road, Mornington to Manmangur Creek (the northern boundary of Mornington Golf Course) and Oakbank Road, Mt Eliza. These areas were formerly within Dunkley. Dunkley stands to gain a section of the seat of Isaacs north to Thompsons Road (Sandhurst), and down Eel Race Road to the bay. Both Mr Hunt and Mr Crewther declined to comment on the proposed changes late last week and referred media inquiries to the Liberal Party’s state director, Nick Demiris, who was not available. The Redistribution Committee for Victoria considered names and boundaries for the 38 Victorian federal electoral divisions. It had the task of rearranging boundaries in the lowgrowth eastern suburbs of Melbourne to “more equitably balance the high-growth areas in the south-east and north-west”, as well as taking high growth areas out of electoral divisions which “exceed the maximum number of electors permitted by the Electoral Act, including the divisions of McEwen and McMillan”. Committee chair and electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said the redistribution was required to enable an increase from 37 to 38 federal electoral divisions.
FRANKSTON HIGH SCHOOL
2019 Enrolment Information and School Tours A learning culture that money cannot buy
Frankston High School has an outstanding reputation as a high performing school, particularly in the areas of academic achievement, music and sport. Prospective parents are encouraged to attend an information session and tour of the school on the following dates:
• Monday 23 April • Tuesday 24 April • Thursday 26 April • Wednesday 2 May • Friday 4 May
All tours to start at 9.15am For parents unable to attend through the day, an information evening will be held on Wednesday 2 May at 7.00pm As places are limited, bookings are required for all tours. Please book via our website at www.fhs.vic.edu.au From Monday 19 March 2018
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Frankston Times 9 April 2018
Changing seats: Moves to better balance populations within federal electorates sees Dunkley - held for the Liberals by Chris Crewther
Electoral ground “Under the proposal the boundaries of all 37 existing Victorian electoral divisions would change, the additional division of Fraser would be created and four divisions would be renamed,” Mr Rogers said. “The high population growth in Victoria, together with the dispersed spread of electors,
has resulted in the redistribution committee proposing significant change to Victoria’s electoral division boundaries.” The proposed new seat of Monash would replace the seat of McMillan and take over the eastern portion of Mr Hunt’s existing electorate. Written objections to the committee’s propos-