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THE P RO PE R TY INSI G HTS SITE
Tuesday Tuesday17 21December January 2020 2019
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Art exhibition’s opening success LAST Thursday’s Mornington Art Show opening has been hailed “a resounding success” by one of its organisers. Mornington Rotary Club member John Renowden said more than 400 people attended the opening at Mornington Community Theatre, with “record sales” being made of artwork and items in a silent auction. “The silent auction alone raised more than $8000 for bushfire relief,” Mr Renowden said. The money follows $10,000 already pledged by the club for bushfire relief. Individual artists have also made donations. “The art show has continued to achieve high numbers attending in its first weekend,” Mr Renowden said. The exhibition of more than 800 paintings and photographs will continue at the community theatre at the corner of Wilsons Road and Nepean Highway, Mornington, until next Sunday, Australia Day (26 January). WORKS created from glass are among the many exhibits at this year’s Mornington Art Show. Picture: Yanni
Permit probe goes further than IBAC Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors are being told that it is “prudent, diligent and in the public interest” to make sure the shire has not made corrupt planning decisions similar to ones alleged at the City of Casey. The advice is contained in a report seeking council’s support for a review announced by shire CEO John Baker last December of decisions made on planning requests from developer John Woodman and his Mornington-based company Watsons Pty Ltd as well as associated companies Wolfdene Built Pty Ltd and Schutz Consulting Pty Ltd. Several employees of two of these companies have previously worked for the shire and the state government.
Councillors will be asked to support Mr Baker’s “transparent and open process to be undertaken by management”. Mr Baker says the review – to be overseen by an “independent probity adviser” - will involve “decisions made for these companies over the past two terms of council (effectively seven years)”. The report prepared by the shire’s governance and legal head Amanda Sapolu – and approved by Mr Baker – concedes “council could resolve to consider earlier time periods”. The mayor Cr Sam Hearn and former mayor Cr David Gill have said there must be no limit on how far back the inquiry goes (“Decades of decisions being checked” The News 15/1/20). Mr Baker says his inquiry will go beyond that outlined by IBAC in its Casey-based Operation Sandon, which
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Where:
Bentons Square Community Centre
Address: 145 Bentons Road, Mornington 3931
When: Each Tuesday starting 4th February
Time:
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Registration:
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included looking for corruption at state and local government elections and “public officers involved in planning and property development decisionmaking”. In addition to IBAC’s stated aims, Mr Baker says the shire’s investigation will look at decisions made by officers without councillor involvement under delegated authority. It will review declared conflicts of interest by councillors and officers as well as “ascertain any gifts or benefits provided by the relevant companies to councillors or officers”, including electoral donations. In the November 2016 council election, Watsons donated $2489 to Briars Ward candidate, now Cr Rosemary Clark, and $1244 to David Cassells, who stood unsuccessfully in Cerberus Ward. Watsons’ director John Wood-
man unsuccessfully stood for Briars Ward in 2012 and 2016 (“Shire probe into permits” The News 24/12/19). The recommendation councillors are being asked to adopt next week specifies that Mr Baker and Ms Sapolu “consider all relevant historical and current applications made by the companies to the council, with particular emphasis on the Martha Cove development”. Although IBAC has not stated it will investigate planning on the Mornington Peninsula, it has announced the scope of its inquiry will be widened when hearings resume on 2 March. The shire’s decision to review permits involving the Watsons, Wolfdene and Schutz companies followed similar moves by Frankston and Kingston councils. Since Mr Baker announced the intended inquiry, The News has been told
about several permit applications and decisions that ratepayers and councillors anticipate coming under scrutiny. While The News has only been told about issues at Martha Cove being referred to IBAC, it is understood several other submissions will be made. In two instances, shire planners are accused of accepting the “untested legal opinion” of a private surveyor and a legal firm to the detriment of objectors. A shire planner is also alleged to have given approval under delegation to an overseas-based contractor, although the contract was later withdrawn. Another instance includes state government approval of land at Crib Point being rezoned from industrial to residential. The proposed rezoning was backed by the shire.
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