NEWS DESK
‘Who gives a crap’ about environment? A YOUTH Environmental Forum at The Briars last week gave students from schools in the region the chance to learn more about human environmental impacts and solutions. Arranged by Frankston Council, with help from the Frankston High School eco team, the day was about educating students to become better environmental leaders to educate their own school communities. Students from Mount Erin, McClelland, Padua, Monterey and John Paul colleges and Frankston High School enjoyed the day funded by Frankston Council, ethical fashion brand Etiko and toilet tissue company Who Gives a Crap? that donates 50 per cent of its profits to building toilets in the developing world. “It is hoped this might be the beginning of an interschool network in which students from neighbouring schools can share ideas, advice, projects -- the sky’s the limit,” Frankston High’s sustainability coordinator Brendan McKinnon said. The Australian Youth Climate Coalition helped students form a plan of action to spread the word about how school students can look after the environment. “We hope to reconvene as a group to find out how teams are progressing with their projects and to see that some new environmental initiatives in schools have been set in motion,” Mr McKinnon said.
Big group effort: School students mucked in at The Briars to learn about how humans can have an impact on the environment. Picture: Yanni
Agent backs new quoting laws Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au A BALNARRING real estate agent is happy about changes to the Underquoting Act which came into effect last week. “We’ve been pushing for the changes since 2008,” Coast Real Estate agent David Wright said. “We’ve been in direct communication with the Minister for Consumer Affairs about them. “We think it’s about time those agents who are manipulating the price by using price plus, negotiable over, offers over, or buyers starting at, get hauled in. “We’ve been using a trusted and compliant Price Ranger strategy since we started selling
around the Western Port area 10 years ago.” The new laws apply to sales authorities signed on or after 1 May. Those signed before then do not require the agent to prepare a statement of information for the property, but any prices advertised on or after that date must adhere to the new advertising requirements. The new rules stipulate that an estimated selling price must be reasonable, and take into account the sales of three comparable properties. An agent’s estimated selling price must be included in the sales authority, and in the approved form. It may be a single price – for example, $500,000, or a range of up to 10 per cent – for example, $500,000 to $550,000. If an estimated selling price changes because it ceases to be reasonable, the agent must inform
the seller in writing, update the sales authority, and update the advertising. “The most important thing is transparency,” Mr Wright said. “We deal with the largest purchase that most people will make and we need to disclose as much information as we can so that potential buyers can make an informed decision,” he said. “Some agents might say, let’s blow them away [with a low-price estimate] but they might not realise that they may be putting their clients in a position where they can be fined up to $200,000 [for breaching the underquoting laws].” A shortage of houses for sale now was exacerbating the problem because most properties would be selling at the top of their range,” Mr Wright said.
Foodie oasis A VACANT commercial site near the car yard area of Mornington is being developed as a restaurant, cafe, food market, function room, gardens and even a petting zoo. Work will soon start on the 1.6 hectare Oasis Bakery site at 988 Nepean Highway. Behind the development is the Makool family, who set up the Oasis Bakery in Murrumbeena in the late 1990s. Business boomed and expansion beckoned: “Mornington is the gateway to the peninsula and has a community that naturally loves good produce, wine, food and cheese. We think it will be the perfect location,” Emad and Marwa Makool say on the company website. Architects Jackson Clements Burrows and Sydney based restaurant designers Luchetti Krelle will oversee the peninsula landmark which will take 18 months to complete. A pop-up kitchen on the site for the past 11 months moved to 61 Bentons Rd on 9 May to make way for the new work.
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BLAIRGOWRIE • DROMANA • MORNINGTON • ROSEBUD • SEAFORD • TOORAK PAGE 18
Mornington News
23 May 2017