NEWS DESK
High flyers rapped over land clearing MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council has praised residents for their “vigilance” in detecting and reporting illegal foreshore works on the beachside of a Portsea property owned by trucking magnate Lindsay Fox. The mayor Cr David Gill said the residents “assisted in bringing this matter to our attention [and] demonstrated our community’s desire to protect the peninsula’s unique environment”.
This led to a company associated with Mr Fox being fined $10,000 in Dromana Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay the council $10,000 in costs over illegal works on a 4600 square metre parcel at Point King beach. (“Fox fined over beach land” The News 10/9/2019). But Mr Fox is not the only high-flyer falling foul of the shire’s land-clearing and planning laws.
Dual-Brownlow medalist Chris Judd was last week fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $6000 costs by the same court for wholesale clearing of 3000 square metres of private land at Main Ridge. The shire brought the charges under the Planning and Environment Act 1987. The former Carlton champion was caught out by “happenstance” when a
council employee took photos of the cleared land for his own use which were later used as evidence at the trial. The mayor Cr David Gill slammed recalcitrant landowners for trying to bring “their own brand of urbanisation” into the indigenous peninsula environment. “Judd tried to turn sensitive bushland into a park,” he said. “His was a severe case of land clearing.”
Cr Gill said the fines imposed on the pair would not be their only expenses. “We will follow up restoration of the land in the Fox and Judd cases through VCAT and it will be costly for both of them,” he said. “It might take years to restore their land but if they think they can just use their money and it will be all done and dusted it will not be.”
MP pushes harder line against animal rights activists Former Dunkley MP loses senate bid MORNINGTON Peninsula farmers and animal producers may soon be protected from animal activists trespassing on their properties and shutting down their livelihood. The issue was highlighted earlier this year when animal activists occupied a Tyabb chicken farm. The Crimes Amendment (Trespass) Bill 2019, introduced into the state Legislative Council by Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party MP Jeff Bourman last week aims to “enhance protections offered to industries pertaining to animal enterprise and animal recreational activities” once it is passed. After several incidents involving animal activists entering businesses and farms, the issue was referred to a house committee to inquire into and report on a response, if any was needed. Despite it going to committee, Mr Bourman said he was keen to press ahead with draft legislation:
“I understand this issue is before a committee, but we don’t need a committee to know there is a problem that needs to be fixed,” he said. “I don’t need an inquiry to tell me what is right and that what has been going on for decades is a problem and what will need to be done to fix it. “The state of Victoria needs to change its archaic trespass laws to reflect modern times and modern problems.” Mr Bourman’s bill aims to enhance protections to animalrelated industries and create specific offences relating to trespass on land with intent to interfere with activities involving animals. It will also increase penalties for new offences relating to trespass to be “in line with current community expectations”. This will include but not be limited to mandatory minimum non-parole sentences. “Current sentencing for related crimes has
been widely criticised, given the gravity of the offences, for not being sufficient,” Mr Bourman said. “Extremist animal activism is not a peaceful protest movement, it is a hostile and aggressive activist movement that is invading people’s workplaces, which in many instances are also their homes, as well as aggressively confronting anyone who engages in any activity they don’t like. “They have taken the movement from the town square and public land onto private land and into people’s homes.” Mr Bourman said: “We are all entitled to a safe work environment which in most farming cases is a home. We are entitled to be free from unauthorised and illegal surveillance equipment in our workplaces, we are entitled to go to work without the threat of activists busting in, either overtly or covertly.”
FORMER Dunkley MP Chris Crewther has come up short in his bid to be elected to the senate. Mr Crewther was eliminated in the first round of voting. Sarah Henderson was instead chosen by Liberal colleagues to fill the vacancy left by Mitch Fifield. He told followers on social media “unfortunately I didn’t get across the line, but it was an honour to stand and I thank all the delegates and members of the Liberal Party who I was able to meet, speak with and who supported me over this journey from across Victoria.” “Particular acknowledgement goes to my wife Grace who has had to put up with a lot while on maternity leave, with first the campaign in Dunkley followed by an intense campaign for the Senate preselection.”
Election tilt lost: After losing his seat at the May federal election, former Dunkley MP Chris Crewther’s attempt to reenter parliament via the Senate has failed. Picture: Gary Sissons
Mornington News
17 September 2019
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