Author: Mike Hast

PREMIER Daniel Andrews has given a tantalising hint of his government’s support for the ambitious Frankston Hospital redevelopment project. Mr Andrews was guest speaker at a “business brunch” held at McClelland Gallery’s cafe last Wednesday (27 June), organised by Committee for Greater Frankston lobby group. During a wide-ranging speech, the Premier told more than 90 locals that Frankston Hospital was a “bellwether of how the area is going”. He said May’s state budget had included money for new emergency department (ED) crisis hubs to separate people dealing with serious mental health or addiction issues from other patients. Frankston’s ED hub…

Read More

ROADS Minister Luke Donnellan was at Carrum Downs Industrial Estate on Thursday 3 May to provide detail about duplication of Lathams Road. The $80 million plus project announced in the state budget two days earlier will see the industrial estate’s main road converted from two to four lanes for 2.5 kilometres between Frankston–Dandenong Road and Oliphant Way. The work will include a second bridge over Peninsula Link parallel to the existing bridge, creating two lanes in each direction. The Carrum Downs project is part of the state government’s Suburban Roads Upgrade, $2.2 billion to improve arterial roads in the southeast…

Read More

STATE Opposition Leader Matthew Guy was in Frankston last week bearing gifts in the form of election promises ranging from extending train services to building bridges to ease traffic congestion and reviving expansion of the Port of Hastings. Mr Guy made an election pitch tailored to a Frankston audience when he addressed a Committee for Greater Frankston lunch at McClelland Gallery. (Premier Daniel Andrews will address the committee at a public event in May.) The Liberal leader said electrification of the rail line from Frankston to Langwarrin and on to Baxter was one of two major rail extension projects in…

Read More

THE Mornington Peninsula and Frankston’s first entrepreneurship and technology festival starts on Friday with a business breakfast and a three-day “hackathon”. The event is a joint venture between the technology business hub Frankston Foundry, Mornington Peninsula Shire, Frankston City Council and sponsors including the state government’s start-up investment body LaunchVic. Kate Gittings of LaunchVic said the region’s first hackathon, PeninsulaHACK, aimed to “build solutions for regional problems such as high youth unemployment and job availability”. The three-day hackathon, 6pm Friday to 6pm Sunday, will see about 150 entrepreneurs, businesses and community leaders from Frankston and the peninsula “discuss and explore…

Read More

THE long-awaited redevelopment of Frankston Basketball Stadium will go ahead after the council and the basketball association agreed on lease terms last Wednesday. Agreement came after a marathon session at the council offices that saw former federal MP Bruce Billson play the role of peacemaker between Frankston Council and Frankston District Basketball Association. Mr Billson exercised a form of “shuttle diplomacy” during almost four hours of negotiations, walking between councillors and officers in the council chambers, and basketball people ensconced in the Acacia Room relaying offer and counter-offer. His efforts received praise from both sides. Councillors were expected to formally…

Read More