NEWS DESK
Forest activist sowing seeds for the future FOREST campaigner John Seed is conducting workshops, giving talks and leading a walk through the Tootgarook Wetlands this month. Mr Seed has been campaigning to preserve forests for more than 30 years and now gives lectures on deep ecology, the concept that the natural world is as important as humans. On Wednesday 21 September, Mr Seed will give a talk called “Deep Ecology and the Conservation of Nature” at Balnarring Hall, 3041 Frankston-Flinders Rd, from 6.30pm followed by a musos’ night. Bookings to 5950 1685 or spcdadmin@mornpen.vic. gov.au by 20 September. At 7pm on Thursday 22 September, he will lead a workshop at Rosebud West Community Hall, 20 Eliza St, Rosebud West. Book on the same number and email. Mr Seed is leading students for a walk in Tootgarook Wetlands earlier in the day. On Saturday and Sunday 24 and 25 September, he will conduct a workshop
in conjunction with EarthSoulScience Co-op at The Briars Park in Mt Martha. Cost is $150, $120 concession. Book on earthsoulscience@gmail. com or call 0403 995 152. Jo Ridgeway of Rosebud West Community Renewal said John was a major force in the campaign to save the Daintree Forest in Queensland. He is director of Rainforest Information Centre, which successfully campaigned to save sub-tropical rainforests of NSW from the late 1970s starting at Terania Creek where loggers, police and conservationists clashed for the first time in Australia. He has been called “the town crier for the global village” for his work promoting and protecting rainforests around the world. He has made films about rainforests and travelled the world with his rainforest roadshow, spreading the word and building networks of people committed to the cause. In 1995 was awarded an OAM for services to the environment. Mike Hast
Our ‘Coach’ would make a fantastic top cop WORD reaches The Emu’s bedraggled bushland hacienda that London’s The Met is struggling to attract a new top cop following the savaging the previous chief and his deputy got in the Murdoch empire News of the World phone hacking scandal before they quit in disgrace. It sounds like a good gig – $400,000 a year plus benefits – and an automatic knighthood. The Emu immediately thought of the perfect candidate – our talented and experienced shire chief executive officer, “Coach” Michael Kennedy. What a fantastic career move for our CEO. It’s $80,000 more than he earns at the shire (not that the money is important) and he would become Sir Dr Michael Kennedy OAM. The grateful monarch would probably throw in the Lord Wardenship of the Cinque Ports with Oak Leaf Cluster and Bar. He might then move on to Yarralumla – Sir Dr Michael Kennedy OAM WOTCP OLCB, entitled to 21gun salutes. After that? The House of Lords, perchance? Sir Lord Kennedy of Drum Drum Alloc, OAM, etc, etc? Makes a doctorate in business administration look small beer indeed.
Secret society SPENDING up to four hours at a meeting of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is a bit masochistic, but part of the job for some of The Emu’s journalist mates. They do a full days’ work (or so they say) then have to front up in the evening to either a full council meeting, where all manner of civic affairs
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Mayor ‘joins’ protesters
are discussed, or a Development Assessments Committee meeting, where planning matters are debated and then voted on (or deferred for extra reports and more debate). Then there’s the council’s Special Purposes Committee meetings, which are closed to the public. However, these meetings have a reasonably comprehensive agenda with reports, etc, so local newspapers reporters (and ratepayers) know what is occurring. Every now and then the shire holds a “special” Special Purposes Committee meeting. This is where things get weird. They are a big secret. You open the agenda and there’s no indication of what’s being discussed. It’s like trying to get information about the Ministry for State Security in the former East Germany, the Stasi. These special meetings are usually heard in the afternoon, sometimes before public meetings. Here is a typical agenda, the list of what is to be discussed: Opening and welcome. Section 1: Procedural matters 1.1 Apologies 1.2 Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Pursuant to Section 79 of the Local Government Act 1989 1.3 Chairperson to advise members of the Public that: “All reports, information and recommendations contained in this Agenda have been designated by the
Western Port News 13 September 2011
MAYOR Graham Pittock’s a good sport: at the protest outside Nepean MP Martin Dixon’s office last month, where 17 people (and a dog) pressed their case to build the aquatic centre inland and not on the foreshore, Cr Pittock allowed protesters Barry Robinson, left, Gary Howard and Eunice Cain to hold one of their signs in front of him. The mayor then invited the group to join him for coffee at a nearby cafe to listen to their concerns.
Chief Executive Officer as confidential pursuant to Section 77(2)(c) of the Local Government Act 1989 and accordingly have been referred to the Special Purposes Committee for a decision under delegation.” The Committee may resolve that the meeting be closed to members of the public in accordance with Section 89(2) of the Local Government Act 1989. Section 2: Confidential reports 2.1 Confidential Report 2.2 Confidential Report Section 3: Committee and information reports: Nil. Section 4: Urgent business Section 5: Notices of motion: Nil.
Surely it’s a joke
DID you learn anything about what was discussed? Neither did The Emu. Residents and ratepayers are being treated like mushrooms. The Emu can accept the details of “special” Special Purposes Commit-
tee meetings should remain confidential, but not the topic of what is being discussed. At Frankston Council, for example, the agenda for items being discussed behind closed doors at least lists the topics. A recent example of a shire “special” Special Purposes Committee meeting, or Secret Meeting as The Emu will now call them, was the one on Wednesday 10 August when the 11 councillors decided to reappoint CEO Michael Kennedy without advertising the position. The only way journalists could figure out the reason for this meeting was by using minor powers of deduction. It was known by which date the councillors had to inform Dr Kennedy they intended to reappoint him as he was entitled to six months’ notice if his job was going to be advertised. His contract expires in early February, so the reappointment meeting had to be held in early August. Even jour-
nos can count back six months from February. The shire was at it again this week – two secret meetings on Monday: a Special Purposes Committee and one of those weird “special” Special Purposes Committee gatherings. No word from the shire about the topic or topics to be discussed, but guess what? It’s obvious one of these meetings relates to the rehiring of Michael Kennedy. No one at the shire would confirm this. Surprise, surprise. But a scan through the public notices of a certain local newspaper on 15 August reveals one about the reappointment of “Coach” Kennedy: “At least fourteen days after the giving of this public notice, Council will consider a further report to appoint Dr Michael Kennedy OAM as its Chief Executive Officer for a period of three years to take effect 9 February 2012.” What’s the most secretive government in the world? North Korea, China? No, it’s Mornington Peninsula Shire. Your rates at work – in secret. Send gossip and hot news tips to The Emu at emutips@yahoo.com.au