Southern Peninsula
10-13 MARCH
MORNINGTON RACECOURSE Caravans & Campers, Motorhomes, Boats, Fishing Gear, 4x4, Camping Gear, Food & Wine, Demos, Travel & Adventure and more!
Caring for local families for over 40 years www.rosebudfunerals.com.au
123 Jetty Road, Rosebud
Ph: 5986 8491
An independent voice for the community
FREE
Your weekly community newspaper covering Safety Beach to Portsea For all advertising and editorial needs, call 03
Wednesday 2 March 2022
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Marching for justice
Picture: Yanni
ORGANISERS of the weekend’s March4Justice event against gendered and family violence shone a light on the shocking rate of this types of violence on the Mornington Peninsula. In the first six months of 2021, 817 women reported incidents of family violence to police across the peninsula, almost double the Victorian local government area average. March4Justice is a national movement pushing for equality, justice, respect, and an end to gendered violence. On Sunday, participants marched from Rosebud pier, and along the Bay trail to the Village Green, where people with slogans called out for an end to family violence and speakers and musicians inspired the crowd. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Sarah Race said the march was an inspirational event, with speakers including ‘Shaz’, representing the rainbow community and Marg D’Arcy speaking for senior Australians. Female musicians included Maxon, Heidi Luckhurst, Mount Martha teenager Zara MC and Sally's ukulele. Cr Race said this year's Local Champion, Geraldine Bliston, had spoken about family violence on the peninsula at the Australia Day awards ceremony and inspired the community to act. Details: facebook.com/March4MornPen
Concern over Sound site for housing Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au NEARBY residents are opposing a plan to lease Mornington Peninsula Shire-owned land in Capel Sound for affordable housing as being in an “inappropriate” location and will cause road safety problems. The shire last December told Capel Sound residents that land behind Seawinds Community Hub - 11A Allambi Avenue - had been chosen as one of four affordable housing partnership projects to help ease the peninsula’s
housing crisis. The other sites are in Rosebud, Hastings and Mornington. However, Capel Sounds’ residents have questioned whether the location is appropriate, with concerns the nearby intersection of Wingara Drive (which already services 70 houses and units and will be the main access route to the development) and Allambi Avenue is already “dangerous”, and the project would bring an unacceptable increase in traffic and risk to pedestrians. The neighbourhood is also home to Eastbourne Primary School and longstanding issues of traffic congestion
related to school pick-up and drop-off times, and high volumes of pedestrian traffic. Veronica Madigan, who has started a Facebook page (Concerning All Residents in Capel Sound) to alert residents to the proposal, said there was also concern about plans to put a road through the primary school and Seawinds Hub, which has a lot of pedestrian traffic and a child care and kinder. Ms Madigan said residents were not opposed to the concept of affordable housing but believed the site had not been thoroughly thought out, with few details being released.
“The council wants residents to submit their thoughts on this, but they haven’t released any information, such as lot sizes, number of houses or traffic management, so how can we put in a submission?” she said. “We believe there are other options in regards to sites and traffic management, such as access from Boneo Road, that would not impact on residents. “We need more information because we have already been impacted by traffic change due to the building of the [Yawa] pool and were ignored when objections were raised.” Mrs Madigan said there were also
Enjoy more quality time with your loved one, by trusting After-Care with their in home care needs For information on how to take the complication out of Home Care Packages and NDIS Support, visit our website or give our friendly staff a call!
NDIS Support
Garden & Home Maintenance
Home Care Packages
All In-Home Care Services
1300 46 46 63
inhome@after-care.com.au
www.after-care.com.au
fears Rosebud Hospital would not be able to cope with the extra population unless it was upgraded. “I realise the need for affordable housing, but risk mitigation has to be applied to keep all existing and possibly new residents safe,” she said. The mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the Capel Sound proposal was “in the early consultation stage and no council decision has been made yet”. He said all feedback would help inform the council’s decision-making and urged communities to “have their say”. Continued Page 11