NEWS DESK
Call to tax the tourists Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au TOURISM is being suggested as a way for Mornington Peninsula Shire to pay for the $56 million Rosebud aquatic centre. There seems no end to the peninsula’s popularity with tourists and visitors and, for one former council aspirant, charging for parking their vehicles is a cash cow waiting to be milked. Joe Lenzo wants to “make the whole of the shire a parking permit zone”, with free parking for residents and discounts for businesses. He says the shire would have “money to burn” if visitors paid parking fees and were relentlessly pursued and fined if they did not have a permit. He suggests installing parking metres or introducing an online parking permit system. Mr Lenzo says high parking fees in
Byron Bay, NSW and towns in Italy do not deter tourists. “You could have a two-lane mud track from Melbourne to the peninsula and you could not stop them for coming en masse. The argument that it would affect retail is wrong.” Campers should be allowed one vehicle a site, with permits being bought for more vehicles. Mr Lenzo suggests charging $10 for a 24-hour parking permit “which is a good deal when you compare to Byron Bay’s $4 an hour”. Discounts could be offered for weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual parking permits. The shire’s 2019/20 budget includes $683,000 for tourism marketing and net $577,000 income from parking. Mr Lenzo says under his plan, peninsula residents would have free parking (two vehicles to every rate notice) with landlords required to hand the permits over to tenants.
Hand held scanners could be used by contractors to check number plates for parking permits, and issue fines. The check could also identify stolen cars, stolen registration plates, unpaid fines and “persons of interest” to the police. These results could be used as a revenue-raiser with other municipalities giving the shire 25 per cent for identifying those who owed fines in excess of $5000 and impounding the vehicle until the penalties had been paid. Cracking down on vehicles overstaying the limit would free up space in supermarket parking areas often used by beachgoers. Mr Lenzo, who lives at Safety Beach and is well aware of the popularity of the peninsula’s beaches and available parking spaces, especially during summer, says he no longer wants to be a councillor. A frequent correspondent to the Letters section of this newspaper, he wants tourists to help overcome fi-
nancial headaches caused to the shire by state government-imposed rate capping. “If the shire would stop dickering around and tax the tourrisits [sic] as I have suggested in my many submissions on how to do it easily and without effort and high cost that would add $25 million a year to income, there would be no problem - money to burn,” he said. “Rosebud pool [could be] paid for with cash in the bank.” Mr Lenzo says the shire has never responded to or considered his submissions over the the past decade but he now “understands they are thinking of doing something which I am sure will be a half donkey result compared to my proposals”. Mr Lenzo’s premise is based on ratepayers not benefitting from tourists and, therefore, “should not pay their costs”. He said tourists were “only a big
problem for six weeks and then mainly on weekends, except for Christmas, but add a lot of costs [to the shire’s budget]”. “A true accounting of the caravan parks might show they are operating at a loss and resident ratepayers are paying the bill,” Mr Lenzo said. “The shire is getting ready to put in some costly parking system in Rosebud or Rye, like in parking garages that show how many empty spaces and I think blue lights if empty. “This not a benefit when the tourists are not here and residents will have to pay. “Why should resident ratepayers pay for all these costs that do not benefit them?” Mr Lenzo said deducting “the real cost” of tourism from the shire budget would mean the shire “would not have to raise rates for years”.
‘The best night’ for 50-year CFA veteran ‘Dad’s a champion’: CFA veteran Greg Salmon with son Jarrod and daughters Rebecca and Kylie at his medal presentation. Picture: Supplied
Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au
IT’S hard to doubt Sorrento CFA veteran Greg Salmon when he says last week’s 50-year medal presentation was “one of the best nights I’ve ever had”. The long-time Sorrento resident was honoured at a dinner at Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club attended by 80 CFA members and guests, Friday 28 June. Long service awards were presented to seven Sorrento Urban Fire Brigade members, with Brigade Captain Michael Versteegen saying the “most impressive went to Greg Salmon, who received an award for 50 years continued and diligent service”. “Greg rose from firefighter, through lieutenant to captain of the fire brigade, and, since stepping down from the captaincy two decades ago, has continued to support the brigade, still turning out to fire and emergency calls and joining in community and fundraising events. “Greg’s input to and impact on the brigade over the past 50 years has been significant and, hopefully, will continue.” Mr Salmon grew up in the town, attended Sorrento Primary School and then Rosebud High School, and volunteered in 1969 while he was
working as a motor mechanic at the old Shell service station on Ocean Beach Road. “The two bosses there at the time were CFA members and they encouraged me to join,” he said. Unlike the servo which is long gone,
Mr Salmon stayed for the long-term and says he found his niche in the volunteer service where he mixes with a “great bunch of people”. Over the years he has received a strong of medals and awards, including the CFA Award and Medal,
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National Medal, Gold Star, Long Service Medal, various Certificates of Appreciation, Outstanding Service Awards, and a Sorrento Rotary Award. He looks back with satisfaction on his role in fighting many big fires, including blazes at Cann River, the
Dandenongs, and countless house and scrub fires. One that stands out was a fire at Portsea Village. “We were told it was the Portsea hotel but when we got there we saw it was at a unit in the village across the road which we had been using in previous practise runs,” he said. “Apparently a bloke had gone to sleep and his cigarette had caught fire to the place.” To celebrate Mr Salmon’s big night, his children Jarrod, Kylie and Rebecca organised a limousine to drive them. Unfortunately, his wife Francesca was unwell after an eye operation the day before and could not attend. Jarrod was full of praise for his father: “He is a champion and has given so much to the community over his lifetime so it was great to shine a spotlight on him even for a few minutes.” Despite his long period of service, Mr Salmon isn’t contemplating retiring anytime soon. “It’s something I would miss if I had to give it away,” he said. “I’ll be happy to stay on and do whatever I can.”
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Southern Peninsula News
17 July 2019
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