NEWS DESK
Islanders oppose prison farm ‘vision’ FRENCH Island residents concerned about ambitious plans by Chinese investors to turn the rural hamlet into a “second Phillip Island” will discuss their fears with Hastings MP Neale Burgess this Sunday (1 July). Since the sale of the former McLeod Prison Farm to the Chinese Wufu Group last year for a reported $4 million, the islanders have heard rumours about the new owners wanting to remodel their investment into something like their much-busier neighbour. Members of the French Island Community Association want to make plain their opposition to the reported plans, with one saying: “This is not government policy and not what French Islanders want. “The reason most of us live here is that it is the quiet island – not like Phillip Island. In fact, several French Island residents are refugees from over-development and over-crowding.” Chinese business woman Xu Ziyun, CEO of Wufu Investments, Shanghai, met with state tourism minister John Eren last July to discuss future plans for the prison farm and the island generally, which she glowing referred to on her company’s website: “The [Victorian government] representatives suggested that we could make great efforts to develop tourism on the island of France (sic) and make her the second Phillip Island (the most popu-
STATE Tourism John Erin with Xu Ziyun, CEO of the company that has bought the historic McLeod prison farm on French Island.
lar tourist attraction in the area).” She said the state government “will fully cooperate with” Wufu and “hopes to take the French island into a key strategy” with Phillip Island. Also at the meeting were representatives of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources and Regional Development Victoria (RDV). A recent post on the Wufu website in Chinese said: “Our esteemed customers can soon look forward to a holiday on Wufu Island” – seemingly referring to French Island. “Not only do they want to impose a major tourist development upon this
island of 115 residents, they have already decided to re-name it,” the community group member said. The Wufu group is a primary service provider in China of elderly care, tourism, and the “cultural travelling industry”. Its stated plans for the island include: Turning the jail into a tourist centre and museum, and building a string of one-storey flats as a hostel, a business centre where “tourists can work at the same time as holidaying”, a Chinese herb farm, and, contentiously, establishing health facilities, such as hot springs, to “cure our body and mind”. Stephen Taylor
Swastikas ‘repugnant’, says civil rights group THE daubing of a red swastika on a gum tree outside Bittern train station has drawn condemnation from members of a leading civil rights organisation. Hastings police are also trying to track down the offenders. Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich, who was sent photographs of the graffiti by an offended Bittern resident, Wednesday 20 June, described it as “repugnant”. “This repugnant Nazi graffiti is an assault on all residents of the Mornington Peninsula and violates our nation’s values of acceptance and respect for all people,” Dr Abramovich said. “The Nazi swastika is a universal symbol of hate that represents pure evil and, whenever such cowardly and despicable incidents happen, chilling emotional damage is done to all community members. “This is a sad and distressing reminder of the lengths people will go to express their unbridled bigotry and serves as a disturbing wake-up call that white supremacism and racism are on the rise in Victoria.” Dr Ambramovich said intolerance has no place in Australia. “It is critical that the message sent back to those who seek to spread division and intimidation is that they will not succeed. “The Anti-Defamation Commission encourages anyone with information to come forward. It is our hope that the perpetrators of this vandalism will be swiftly brought to justice.”
Sign of hate: Swastika graffiti scars this tree near Bittern station last week. Picture: Supplied
Hastings police sergeant Jason Wombwell said police were committed to investigating prejudice-motivated crime. “I encourage anyone subjected to this theme to report any instances to their local police,” he said. Anyone with information relating to the graffiti is urged to call Hastings police 5970 7800.
Western Port News
26 June 2018
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