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
Rezoning of port-related land is required The submission by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to the Department of Environment Lands Planning and water (DELPW) regarding surplus port-zoned land is encouraging (“Shire wants final say” The News 22/1/20). There are more than 2800 hectares of portrelated land north of Hastings and 321 hectares at Crib Point – much of it unused for decades. The vacant land on the former BP oil refinery at Crib Point is a wasteland that needs rezoning and remediation. The 2017 Crib Point Township Plan created by local residents should be considered and supported by the shire. Rezoning surplus port-related land in Crib Point would make it more difficult for heavy industry to return – such as the flawed AGL gas import terminal project. How many more years must those decaying oil tanks be a blight on Crib Point? Dale Stohr, Crib Point
Upgrade delay One of the promises that [Flinders MP] Greg Hunt made during the [May 2019] election was the upgrade of Jetty Road [Rosebud] and the freeway roundabout. Mr Hunt promised to allocate $70 million for stages one and two to upgrade the intersection. I have seen no sign or publicity about what is happening with the funding that he said was allocated and I would be most interested to know what his plans are for honouring that promise. James Anderson, Tootgarook
Road safety It is not often that I will heap praise on a local council, but the initiatives of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council in setting up an 80kph speed limit on peninsula country roads is admirable. (“Peninsula speed limits to be cut” The News 2/12/19). On my frequent trips from Mornington to Hastings, every roundabout (except one), every crossroad, is much safer. The road itself is safer. If a collision should occur, the impact will be half as severe. The trip is more relaxed and pleasant. The time lost because of the slower average speed seems to be about two minutes. The same comments apply to trips to other towns. However, there is another peninsula country road peril that needs to be addressed: falling tree branches. Nearly all of our old country roads have ancient, dangerously overhanging tree limbs, often a couple of tonnes in weight. Many times they crash down and block the road, occasionally they kill. Storms bring them down. So does fate. I always cross my fingers when driving beneath an obviously threatening large overhanging limb. Whoever is responsible for road maintenance needs to have a permanent road crew lopping off these overhangs, starting with the most danger-
ous. It might take years, but it has to be done. I don’t know, but perhaps there is some dollar value in selling these limbs as timber. Or wood. Electricity companies seem to have a permanent crew protecting their wires; perhaps some co-operation and pooling of resources could halve the costs and protect people, too. Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Decisions ignored So, as predicted, [deputy Nationals leader and former Sports Minister] Bridget McKenzie has resigned after an “exhaustive investigation” by the head of the Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s department reported that she had failed to notify the system of her membership of a gun club to which she gave a sports grant. The investigation did not find, as I understand it, that the minister allegedly did anything untoward in distributing $100 million of our money just prior to the May 2019 federal election, to influence the voters in various marginal electorates. History will record the former but not the latter. [US President] Richard Nixon resigned over his exposed Watergate scandal and that is what history will record, not that he would have been impeached had he not done so. I can hear some folk saying, “But everybody does it’. No, not everybody does it, because there are still some with higher morals and values than we the general populace. However, those who have abided by doing the right thing will not have made headlines. Tighter rules and transparency are being put forward as the solution. But there were correct rules and processes in place. Sports Australia, the relevant body, was there to make the assessments and recommendations. It did in fact do so. It also advised the minister that it believed that her final decisions ignored its assessments and compromised the position of that body. All this was transparent. Why else would all this now not be out in the media? Ken Norris, McCrae
Marginal profit Just got [Nepean MP] Chris Brayne’s newsletter and am amazed at how much money is flowing into the Mornington Peninsula. The results of a marginal seat. Now, let’s make the federal seat [of Flinders] marginal and reap the big bucks from them. I am sure they can fling a few hundred million our way. But we need to start making it marginal now so we can start collecting before the next election. Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Creative criticism Graham Griffiths penned an amusing piece of fluff suggesting the letters page needs a holiday
because he apparently doesn’t like his side of politics getting a well deserved pasting from contributors (“Need writers with humour and pearls of wisdom” Letters 5/2/20). He can’t stand reading letters discussing [Prime Minister] Scott Morrison leaving for a secret holiday in Hawaii during the catastrophic bushfires throughout Australia when he should have been here. It wasn’t a good look when Morrison forcibly grabbed the hand of a female fire victim because she didn’t want to shake his hand. He didn’t even acknowledge the deaths of a father and son on Kangaroo Island. Graham mustn’t like it when we mention the smiling, shotgun toting [former Nationals deputy leader] Bridget McKenzie and the “sports rorts” affair. It is also obviously frowned upon if we discuss the federal government’s inadequacies when it comes to climate change. Graham would prefer to read something nice by writers from the conservative, born to rule side where he can read weekly inaccurate misinformation on climate change or the occasional letter of praise of a Liberal pollie. Does Graham want to kill tourism with the suggestion to charge a $100 levy on all day trippers to the Mornington Peninsula? I do agree with a $200 levy on jet skis, though. He should cast his mind back to how Morrison got in and [Flinders MP] Greg Hunt’s siding with Peter Dutton because he saw himself as deputy. Graham, mate, whether you like it or not, you are always going to get perceived “political garbage” on both sides, so get used to it. John Cain, McCrae
Hidden humour Perhaps Graham Griffiths needs to look a bit harder (“Need writers with humour and pearls of wisdom” Letters 5/2/20). Surely he must get a smile from [frequent letter writer] Rupert Steiner being lost for comment now the illegal boat people issue has disappeared along with the Flinders grannies and Marg D’Arcy having to finally come to grips with the fact that the majority of Australians disagree with her. It is pretty funny. But the real belly laugh had to go to John Cain for nominating Tuvalu as his island that had been inundated by rising sea levels (“Greta’s time has come” Letters 17/12/19 ). I think we can all still remember the two rather obese women in native dress along with three small children splashing about in an oversized kids wading pool, among broken palm leaves and bits of wood, to greet the Prime Minister Scott Morrison on his visit to Tuvalu last June. This was, the media told us, a representation of rising sea levels because there wasn’t any actual rise or damage to show. So Graham, the humour is there, but sometimes just a bit hard to find. Michael G Free, Mount Martha
Misguided humour I’m so glad that finally we have someone on the Mornington Peninsula that is prepared to throw humorous pearls of wisdom before swine (“Need writers with humour and pearls of wisdom” Letters 5/2/20). Graham Griffiths and several others have filled
me with mirth with their defence of our present Muppets in Canberra. It is obvious, after hearing [Liberal Senator] Jim Molan on Q&A (ABC TV 3/2/20) declaring his open mind about climate change and insisting that he can form his opinions about anything, without relying on actual evidence. He’s a fearsome joker. Sadly, this little piggy is not amused, and would like to suggest they all work a little harder on their attempts of humour. Rupert Steiner, Balnarring
Right name callers I was intrigued that the support club for [Flinders MP] Greg Hunt has so little creativity that two writers both referred to me and other writers as loony lefties because we dare to disagree with our local member and his government (“Need writers with humour and pearls of wisdom” and “Fired up over GetUp” Letters 4/2/20). I am happy to take on that title if they understand it means I want a community where people care for each other. Where children get a good education regardless of their parents’ pay packet; where people have access to decent health care and housing, regardless of their financial situation and where we achieve the human rights of all to live in a community where they are respected and where diversity is celebrated. Why is it the there is no right wing equivalent of loony leftie? Perhaps we could refer to the writers as cantankerous conservatives, witless wimps or reasonless righties? I wonder what they think of the reality that on the issue of the need for action on climate change I sit alongside such loony lefties as Boris Johnson, Emmanual Macron, the CSIRO or the Liberal Minister for the Environment in NSW who all want action to reduce our carbon emissions. Instead of meaningless name calling we should look at how we engage in a meaningful, bipartisan discussion about how Australia could become a world leader in innovations for renewable energy and advocating for action to reduce emissions throughout the world. Marg D’Arcy, Rye
Police praised While driving through Hastings last Friday minding my own business, in my relatively new ute, I noticed I was being followed by the cops for some time. I told my mate that they were going to book me for eating a dim sim at the wheel. Sure enough, I got pulled over. The police lady says, “G’day Paul, just a courtesy call to let you know your rego expires at four o’clock today.” I was blown away. Thank you, I had no idea, you just saved me $800. My second dim sim tasted so much better than the first. Paul Kerrigan, Mount Martha
Burning protection Everyone should find the time to views the CSIRO’s 1971 film about controlled burning by aircraft and Aborigines. It is called Flight Line One and runs for about 28 minutes and is easily Googled. The film shows how aircraft are used in the widespread burning at regular intervals in the jarrah forests of Western Australia, reducing the amount of combustible litter on the ground. Barry Tate, Mornington
Southern Peninsula News
12 February 2020
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