LETTERS
Letters - 300 words maximum and including full name, address and contact number - can be sent to The News, PO Box 588, Hastings 3915 or emailed to: team@mpnews.com.au
Paid parking trial unfair to non-resident carers I have a disability and require carers daily. I’ve been a resident of Mornington for 35 years and a social member of the yacht club for 23 years. It’s one of my few joys. On a regular basis I go to Schnapper Point for a coffee at the cafe or up to the club, however yesterday my disability carer got a warning on her car that she would now have to pay for parking (for taking a disabled resident to their favourite space where they have been going for years). They are driving a disabled resident. Why should they have to pay for parking? It’s just wrong. Just me displaying my disabled parking sticker is not enough because carers do not live in the area and their cars are not registered to a Mornington address. It is a really bad move by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. It is not well thought through or is it that they just don’t care about disabled residents of Mornington Debbie Martin, Mornington
Workers thanked Can you please convey our gratitude and Christmas cheer to all those working for us at Mornington peninsula Shire Council to keep our place tidy and working? The garbage collectors, toilet cleaners, clean teamsters, gardeners and mowers, good on you. Ted Warden, Rosebud
Joy not wasted Christmas is a joyous time for sharing and giving. Trouble is, all our giving results in a staggering 30 per cent increase in waste compared with other times of the year. Despite the high cost of living, it is estimated that almost $1billion worth of Christmas gifts purchased in Australia this year will never be used or worn. We Aussies will also use 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper: enough to go around our whole country six times. Most is destined for landfill, worsening environmental decline. What a waste. Perhaps we could reconsider our approach to giving. Offering experiences or making charitable donations are thoughtful alternatives, as are simple homemade gifts. This Christmas, instead of filling the rubbish bin, let’s fill our lives with more bad jokes, laughter and meaningful connections with loved ones. Simple joy is, after all, the true spirit of Christmas. Amy Hiller, Kew
Volunteer support As a resident of Blairgowrie, I wish to applaud the volunteers for their backbreaking efforts in removing some of the invasive and non-native plants that are choking Mornington peninsula National Park and its environs. Across most sectors of society there is a paucity of volunteers so those who do donate their precious time, energy, expertise (and often funds), need our acknowledgement and respect. Not to be scorched in the frypan of indignation. Local secondary school students participate in some of the weed removal as part of their environmental studies education and, under direct expert supervision, they are learning to nurture nature. A wonderful, valuable legacy. Removing invasive plants from one side of a narrow track while retaining them on the other is fools’ work, and any progress will be rapidly undone (Grassy bowl clearing a borderline ‘error’, The News 5/12/23). The non-indigenous, non-native species in the national park have all spread from somewhere else. Please help our volunteers. They are working in increasingly fraught circumstances where, not infrequently, they are subjected to less than desirable behaviour from some members of the community. Cheers to friends’ groups - you are amazing. Karen Wootton, Blairgowrie
Safety at beach I openly confess to a dislike of jet-skis. A visit to Safety Beach on a long weekend a few summers back only strengthened my feelings. There were
dozens of them in the water chasing each other around in seemingly mindless circles and taking up space parked in rows on the beach. The water smelled of fuel and the noise they made overrode the natural sounds of birds, waves and children playing – the reasons most people go to the beach. Even half a kilometre away, the drone of the motors could be heard in the backyard and the living room. As Mornington Peninsula Shire’s webpage states, jet-skis are “generally much more powerful … than traditional powerboats”. Is this the sort of craft the peninsula wants its beaches to be remembered for? A dolphin or human hit by a heavy speeding jet-ski has little hope of survival (Watch out for dolphins, The News 12/12/23). Swimming should not be a health hazard. Surely kayaks, surfboards and paddle boards are more suited to family beaches such as the comfortingly named Safety Beach. If they must be permitted, a phase out of petrol jet-skis for cleaner and quieter electric ones by 2030 should be legislated by the state government. This might also deter a few hoons and petrol heads who seem to love the noise they make. Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Beware of the sign There has long been a friendly, well behaved dog walking community at McCrae beach. After years of advocating, particularly thanks to Bill Chalkley, the hours of off-leash dog walking have been extended and are now reflected on new signboards. However, rather than reflect the happy recreational nature of the activity - Welcome Dog-Walkers or Dog Walking Hours - the signs are headed, in big black authoritarian letters Dog Control, 1984- style. Perhaps Mornington Peninsula Shire’s sign department might consider the atmosphere of the peninsula as well as the rules. Paula Polson, Dromana
Information sharing Regarding Cr Sarah Race’s suggestion/proposal that we should spend $200,000 to $300,000 on an online Transparency and Integrity Hub, this is a computer program that can be manipulated to suit and sanitise the information it may contain (Transparent council. Take 2, The news 12/12/23). We all know how unreliable Mornington Peninsula Shire’s computer websites are. Not user friendly, such as shown by the ratepayers’ paid parking exemption program which was, at best, unfriendly and useless and we still had to go to a nice shire officer for a parking permit. The council has only itself to blame for the dissatisfaction survey. As customer and transformation manager Patrick Dillon states, selected and curated information may include some information in this proposal. Again, a cloak of secrecy. Councillors were elected to run the council and, if they can’t get answers, should let the public know. Who are these officers that are on the shire’s payroll dictating what may be said and revealed? It’s our council, our money. As ratepayers we have a right to be kept informed. To spend that sort of money on a computer program is at best frivolous, and a total waste. Use our money to have our inadequate roads and drainage contractor fix properly the hundreds of pot holes, fix the table drains that are nonexistent, or have them cleaned out so as to prevent flooding. Gerard van de Ven, Mount Martha
Graphic ideas Years ago, when I was drawing daily political cartoons for The Age and The Australian, it was never easy to conjure a funny idea. Sometimes my brain would dream up a funny idea, but I would not necessarily agree with the message of the cartoon. My latest cartoon about Mornington Peninsula Shire is one that is not totally true, but it has that grain of truth in it. The shire is both rich and poor. At the hugely successful Save Our Cliff public meeting on Monday 11 December at the Mornington Yacht Club, I said that we wanted to work with the shire to lobby the state government for money rebuild the two sections of the Beleura cliff path knocked out by landslips. We showed, with 340 people crowding out the meeting space, that we will be a lobbying force. And it’s true that the shire can’t afford to pay all
understanding and, very importantly, peace on Earth at this catastrophic time occurring in the Middle East and Ukraine (Sighs of Christmas, Letters 5/12/23). My faith in common humanity is momentarily restored for some foreseeable future and hopefully we will all get to celebrate a happier less conflictual New Year whether Jew, Hindu, Jane or Christian. Ian Morrison, Mount Eliza
Pride is international We are very pleased to see the gay pride flag flown outside the Mornington Peninsula Shire council offices (Flags need answers, Letters 5/12/23). On a recent visit to Europe in Italy, Ireland and the UK we noticed the flag adorning businesses, public buildings and transport (below) as a welcoming message. Surely the residents of the Mornington Peninsula are just as capable of welcoming those from diverse backgrounds who have suffered discrimination in the past? Rosie and Gareth Lloyd, Mount Eliza
Flag congratulations Congratulations to Mornington Peninsula Shire Council for flying the pride flag. I noticed [in the Letters columns] some very irate people complaining about the inclusion of some minorities in our society. These chicken littles are never brave enough to actually spell out the reasons for their objections. Is it that they’re ashamed of their secret motives?
the costs of the rebuilds, maybe more than $1.5 million. The shire faces difficult issues everywhere, especially on the coast. The expensive landslip risk assessment the shire finally released on the day of our meeting, prepared by Stantec, a large international company, looks comprehensive, accurate and thoughtful. The author, Davin Slade, has shown a grip on the facts that the shire totally lacked. The report is a vindication of what the Friends of the Beleura Cliff Path have been saying for 10 years. Engaging with the property owners on the cliff to fix drainage issues, systematic maintenance and regular inspection, are minor expenses that will save millions in the long run. We need to convince the government that this cliff path is a priceless community asset. Peter Nicholson, convenor Save Our Cliff Path and Friends of the Beleura Cliff Path, Mornington
Or is it their skewed belief that only they should be the arbiters of society’s lore? Whichever it is, it’s a very sad and dangerous stance. Rupert Steiner, Balnarring Beach
Rainbow support I support the right of people to be whoever they want to be … Our current Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors who have taken the Rainbow pledge have committed us to: 1. “undertaking Rainbow Tick accreditation, worthwhile noting that the cost of the Rainbow Tick is estimated to be $200,000 for council run services; 2. establishing or continuing an LGBTIQA+ advisory committee to council; 3. developing and implementing an LGBTIQA+ action plan for council; 4. flying the rainbow flag from council buildings on LGBTIQA+ awareness days; 5. marching at Pride march under a council banner or participating in Midsumma or local Pride events. I think I signed up for this in one of my many less lucid moments, thinking I was supporting “the movement”. And I do not remember any of the councillors engaging with the community before they pledged the shire to what I see as a cult-like organisation. I am wondering where will the $200,000 cost be hidden in the next budget? Suggestion: Dump this bull poopoo and fix the potholes. Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Editor: Cr Sarah Race’s suggestion was held over from the 12 December council meeting and was due to be considered at this week’spublic council meeting on 19 December.
Plea answered Heavens to Betsy, some delightful children responded to my lone plea for a little Christianity in Main Street, Mornington by drawing and illustrating some heartfelt universal wishes of joy, good health, faithfulness, community, Mornington News
19 December 2023
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