NEWS DESK
Two sides, but different coin for shire towns THE imbalance in spending of ratepayers’ money across the Mornington Peninsula is starkly shown in amounts allocated for Australia Day, a national celebration aimed at bringing communities closer together. The latest figures presented to councillors show the disparity between money allocated to communities facing Port Phillip to those on the Western Port side of the peninsula. While representing just a small part of the shire’s $212 million overall budget, the Australia Day proposal further illustrates the widening gap in spending between the communities. Although not yet adopted, councillors were last week asked to give tacit approval – with a view to later voting during a public council meeting – to spend $302,000 on Australia Day 2018. However, it is understood some councillors baulked at approving the Australia day budget after seeing the disparity between towns. The proposed amount for 2018 is $26,000 more than this year, with Mornington receiving almost all of the increase and Rosebud losing $1000. Mornington, which has the largest Australia Day celebrations on the peninsula – including a street parade and fireworks - was allocated $141,000
while Hastings was being offered $10,000. No two towns were the same, with Rye coming out second highest with $50,000, followed by Rosebud with $43,000.Next in line was Dromana with $30,000, followed by Mt Eliza, $13,000 and Sorrento $5000 (divided between ceremonies at the RSL and bowls clubs). The shire’s marketing department gets a modest boost, going from $9650 this year to $10,000 next year. The Australia Day budgets for the other towns stays the same, except for Sorrento which gets $1000 more, split between the RSL and bowls clubs. The figures follow on from the shire’s proposed 2017/18 capital works budget which advocates spending more than four times more money in the Briars ward than that planned for Red Hill ward. The budget allocates $40.21 million to capital works with spending in the shire’s six wards, from highest to lowest, Briars $8.47 million; Watson $4.79m; Seawinds $3.95m; Nepean $3.87m; Cerberus $2.52m; and Red Hill $2.05m. A further $14.56m is being spent “shire wide” on capital works and priority projects. Keith Platt
On tour: Graham Hubbard, Rosie Clark, Liz Barraclough and Sam Hearn on the Balcombe Estuary jetty. Picture: Supplied
Councillors go up the creek GOING up the creek was all part of an inspection tour for Briars ward councillors Rosie Clark and Sam Hearn. The two Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors elected last October were told about the fragile beauty of Balcombe Creek, its estuary and its adjoining bushland during a tour of the reserves with BERG Mt Martha president Graham Hubbard and field officer Liz Barraclough. The third Briars ward representative is the mayor Cr Bev Colomb, who has a long acquaintance with the Balcombe Estuary Reserves Group, Mt Martha. For more than an hour Mr Hubbard and Ms Barraclough briefed Crs Clark and Hearn on the work of the environ-
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ment group as they strolled along the estuary boardwalk. Mr Hubbard said the environment group worked closely with the shire and Melbourne Water in maintaining the estuary and reserves which would suffer in the event of a chemical or sewage spill or overdevelopment. To help safeguard against this BERG regularly monitored the health of Balcombe Creek under its waterwatch program. Members also had regular working bees to remove weeds growing in the bushland and to plant new native trees in the reserves, he said. This was all part of a plan to restore the reserves to their original state. “We told councillors Clark and Hearn that each year our members
work more than 4000 hours in volunteer time in on-ground and community awareness to preserve and restore the estuary and reserves,” he said. “We showed them several major projects such as the bird hide, the burn site, the school murals in the campground, the quarry rehabilitation and the jetty seat. “We also discussed the problems of sedimentation and stormwater damage.” Mr Hubbard said the councillors were impressed with the reserves and with the work BERG Mt Martha had put in over the past 20 years. It was the first time Cr Clark had visited the estuary, but Cr Hearn said he had spent time there with his family. Barry Morris
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Shop 8a, 1-13 Tyabb Road (cnr Nepean Hwy) Mornington Mornington News 13 June 2017
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