NEWS DESK
Police patrol
Beach box court loss Continued from Page 1 The association argued that while council did not provide rubbish bins or disposal services to beach boxes public rubbish bins were installed for during camping season and bins on the foreshore were marked for street litter only. Cr David Gill said if the beach box owners had won their case “the precedent set for paying fees or even rates would have sent shock waves throughout our community”. “It could have meant that if there was little or no benefit to an individual from an aspect of a service fee or even rate charge there could be claims for a deduction from the normal payments. For example, if you do not use the council Infant welfare service or kindergarten or homeless service you wouldn’t have to pay for them. “This would leave impossibly high charges for the less well-off using essential services.” Cr Gill said bathing box owners paid on average about $30 a week “for the privilege of using an outstanding public asset for their exclusive use with the bonus of selling their licences at market value as if it were an investment property” (“‘Locals only’ rule for beach boxes” The News 2/6/20). “My belief is that these licence fees are for a luxury item and should also be at market value.” Cr Steve Holland said the ruling against the beach box owners was “not unexpected, given the potential state-wide ramifications had the shire lost”. “However, I'm not a fan of broad-based service charges, which can be used by municipalities to circumvent the rate cap in order to pay for services people expect to be funded via rates revenue,” Cr Holland said. “That said, I'm also not a fan of rate capping – it allows elected councillors to avoid accountability for perpetual rate hikes. If only there was a cap on state and federal taxes.”
With Stephen Taylor
Sleeves up: Constable Nikki Crane, who organised the day, Acting Sergeant Cam Fields, Senior Sergeant Paul Edwards, Sergeant Jodie Powell, Senior Constable Meg Morgan, Senior Constable Caroline Taylor (seated), Senior Constable James Cameron, Constable Ash Condon, Leading Senior Constable Carl Spackler and Constable Dan Cousins.
Rising to the challenge MORNINGTON police rolled up their sleeves to the Red Cross blood donation drive as part of the Emergency Services Blood Challenge, Tuesday 4 August. The police say they understand the importance of blood donations and are prepared to help the community any way they can. Victoria Police are hoping to retain the state title in the number of donations. The Frankston donor centre is at 20 Davey Street. Donors are asked to say they are donating on behalf of Victoria Police.
Morning drive ends with charges ROSEBUD police called to a collision on Melbourne Road, Sorrento, last Thursday (5 August) were surprised when the offending driver blew 0.236 per cent, almost five times the legal limit, at 9 o’clock in the morning. The male, in his 20s, is expected to be charged on summons with several driving offences, including use of a mobile phone while driving, driving an unregistered vehicle and drink-driving. His licence was immediately suspended. Senior Constable Shaun Williams said it was “by the grace of God that no-one was killed” in the lead-up to the intercept. “Luck was the only difference today between a tow truck and the coroner’s van,” he said. “It’s that simple. Even if you’ve had a sleep after a big night out don’t assume you’ll be right to drive. If you even need to think about it get a taxi or an Uber. It’s a damned sight cheaper than the alternative.”
LETTERS
Speeding, over limit HASTINGS nightshift van clocked a speeding driver on Stony point Road, Bittern, last week doing 84kph in a 60kph zone. When breath-tested the 28-year-old man of Tuerong, blew 0.208 per cent – four times the legal limit. After his arrest, 4am, Friday 6 August, the man’s licence was suspended, and his vehicle impounded with a release fee of $1075. He will be charged on summons for a range of speed and drink-driving offences.
Pizza rider robbed A PIZZA delivery rider was held up and his scooter stolen at Hastings, Thursday 29 July. Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Lagonder, of Somerville CIU, said the offender with a 20cm knife ordered the rider to hand over the keys to the Domino’s scooter when he delivered the
pizza to an Arthur Street house, 9.04pm. The offender is described as a male, 180cm, wearing a black hoodie and face mask. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.
Kayak found MORNINGTON police found a blue Wave Dancer kayak washed up on the northern side of Fisherman’s Beach, Mornington. The owner can contact either property officer Paula O’Brien at the police station 5970 4900, or Senior Constable Will Mountney at the Water Police, 9399 7500.
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
All a flutter over flag protocol On a recent visit to Sorrento we were astonished to see the Victorian flag at the top of the mast in the shopping centre with the Australian and Aboriginal flags relegated to two lower jackstaffs (pictured right). Flag etiquette as defined in the Flags Act 1953 clearly defines how flags should be shown when flagstaffs are not of equal height, with the order of precedence is from highest to lowest. “The Australian national flag takes precedence in Australia over all other flags when it is flown in company with other flags” (and therefore should be flown from the highest to lowest). “Thereafter, when flown in the community the order of precedence, where applicable, of flags is: national flag of other nations, state and territory flags … the Australian Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait islander flag in either order; Defence ensigns, ensigns and pennants of local government; Commonwealth, state and territory agencies; and finally non-government organisation.” I note that outside the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council offices in Mornington, where the flags are all the same height, the order of precedence of the flags is correct as defined in the Flags Act. As clearly the way flags are flown at Sorrento is wrong and in fact illegal, it is either a mistake made by someone who is not aware of the order of precedence, or some woke council person trying to infer that Victoria is more important than the Commonwealth as a whole. Darryl Chambers, Mount Martha
Pre-existing worry My husband is 84 and in good health after a recent successful hip replacement, although this was followed by a deep vein thrombosis. He has been actively, but unsuccessfully, trying to get the Pfizer vaccine rather than the Astra Zeneca because he has a 20-year history of deep and superficial vein thrombosis. He also has a family history of blood clot death and his mother died from a stroke.
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Southern Peninsula News
service like electricity. You cannot have such a service being a market place. To put things into perspective, most Victorian solar farms are around 50 to 100Mw each, maximum output, daytime only. Little old Loy Yang B power station at Traralgon, has under its roof, two coal fired generators, each one generating over 500Mw of constant power, 24 hours a day, 7/365 if required. One Australian aluminium smelter uses 1000Mw of power constantly, all day and all night; iron or steel production is proportional, 24/7. We desperately need other heavy, and light, industries. Run-off batteries? Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
If he has the Astra Zeneca and dies from a clot, would I be told that it would have been caused by a pre-existing condition? Would I be told the same if he catches the virus and dies from it? How many other older voters, and their families, are out there in the same predicament? Perhaps we should get together. Val Kent, Mornington
COVID ignorance No offence to our Premier Danny (Andrews), but let’s be honest. New boy [Nepean Labor MP] Chris Brayne would be wise to look for another career after the next election: Lockdown 6. We live with so many arrogant people at this time, indeed ignorant. [federal Labor leader Anthony] Albanese’s suggestion of $300 to be vaccinated sounds silly but, listening to the wall if ignorance locally, it’s perhaps a good idea: The RSL, two unvaccinated tradies, lots to say on self-importance, one with a wife and child, oblivious to the COVID-19 risk factor. Their logic of never anything down here? I tried, but brick walls don’t listen. Cliff Ellen, Rye
Cut pays for parity
Solar unsettling With regard to the proposed 240 megawatt battery installation at Tyabb, I couldn’t help seeing it from another angle (“Battery plan to ‘stabilise’ power supply” The News 27/7/21). Effectively, it is soaking up all of that rooftop solar panel power generated during the day, peaking at around noon, that is not wanted because nobody is at home or, if they are, there is little electricity used. The battery [owner] buys this unwanted electricity at a dirt cheap price, then sells it back to the same suckers five hours later at a much higher price. Yes, at the same time it is stabilising the grid, the instability being caused by an excess of solar panels. Most of our remote solar farms should be fitted with even bigger batteries for similar reasons, but are not because the cost is prohibitive,
11 August 2021
Picture: Yanni
uneconomic. The Tyabb battery will be, I believe, of 240Mw DC capacity which will manufacture about 200Mw AC back into the grid for two hours at maximum capacity, worst case scenario. All of this mish-mash of private investments, profiteering, kindergarten engineering, part time generators all over the place, is a disastrous way to run an essential
As we re-enter what is now our COVID-normal in Victoria, we must spare yet another thought for all the small businesses which have gone under, and those which have survived so far, but are on the brink of failure. How much produce will go to waste this week after restaurants and cafes are given three hours’ notice that they will be closed for a week? The simplest way of bringing more understanding to those who are wreaking such havoc is to cut all Victorian public service salaries by 50 per cent for the duration of the lockdown. To those who say that’s not fair, public servants are not to blame, I say nor are the small business owners, and many are losing all their income and then some. The money saved could then be paid to those businesses to cover their wastage. We might even start to believe our chief jailer when he says, “We are all in this together”. Jack Wheeler, Mornington