NEWS DESK
Row continues over storm clean-up Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au A WHEELCHAIR bound Mornington woman is demanding more accountability from the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council over the slow clean-up of storm-related damage from as far back as last October. Karen Ford, who lives in a block of units in Prince Street, said residents had been waiting months for help and had trouble getting any “real answers” from the shire, despite six contacts and requests. “I’ve called many times but nothing happens,” she said. “Then, after many calls and emails, I had a web chat with someone who said I didn’t provide a phone number from the beginning, only to backtrack when I proved that I did provide a phone number.” Ford and her neighbours are not the only ones waiting. The shire has acknowledged it is behind in cleaning up the mess left by storms late last year. In March, infrastructure services manager Tom Haines-Sutherland said contractors hired by the shire were struggling to keep up with demand, and there were still thousands of jobs to do. But his claim that the shire had “committed every resource we have to the clean-up” has been rejected by an industry insider who said the shire had not allocated extra resources and had an archaic system of logging, inspecting and following through on bookings. “I think their systems need some scrutiny, people making customer service inquiries get told things will be 10 days, when in reality people have already been waiting five months,” the man who did not want to be publicly identified said. The insider said the shire had been given an extra workload without throwing extra resources at the problem. “The council says it is working around the clock and that is blatantly untrue. They originally said it would be finished by March, but a lot of the jobs have not even been logged yet, there is no possible chance to catch up under this level of resourcing,” he said. “The systems at the shire are breaking down and need a total overhaul.” The shire on Monday said it had dedicated “every suitable resource to the clean-up effort, including additional subcontractors”. Since October, there had been more than 3500 requests for assistance and all initial requests for help had now been responded to. The mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the October storm was “bigger than any of us anticipated” and the clean-up had been complex.”
Aftermath: Ash Sayers, Chris Branagan and Karen Ford and the storm debris waiting to be removed from near their Prince Street, Mornington properties. Picture: Yanni
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ZOE MCKENZIE – SOMEONE WHO GETS RESULTS I have a record of getting things done nationally, at the State level and here on the Peninsula. I have been involved locally with many community organisations working to address the disadvantage we suffer by being part of ‘metro Melbourne’ as opposed to ‘regional’. Running my own small business, I know the unique challenges facing small and family enterprises which are the lifeblood of our local economy. We need less tax, less red tape, and more help for those trying to build opportunities for others.
I have a plan for a world-class tourism and hospitality training hub on the Peninsula and I will work with the local community towards a new Technical College to encourage young people into trades. I will protect our natural environment so that our kids, and your kids, can live and love it like we do. My partner Rod and I are scuba divers, and I want to protect our beaches, the Green Wedge and Arthurs Seat. I want to make sure that the Mornington Peninsula remains one of the best places to live, raise a family, or run a small business.
ZOE McKENZIE
LIBERAL FOR FLINDERS
Authorised by C. McQuestin, Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), L12, 257 Collins St, Melbourne Vic 3000. Mornington News
3 May 2022
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