Author: Neil Walker

THE rail line to Baxter from Frankston has become a battleground between the Liberal and Labor candidates for Dunkley in the lead up to this weekend’s federal election. Liberal candidate Chris Crewther last week effectively duplicated a Labor pledge last month to fund a business case study into the electrification and duplication of the Frankston-Baxter rail line but also suggested a new train station at Frankston Hospital and a third rail track between Frankston and Melbourne could be a possibility. Mr Crewther has committed to a $4 million ‘Dunkley Rail Transport Plan’ if the Turnbull government is re-elected meaning a…

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A STATE government intervention over the possibility of elevated rail along the Frankston line has been condemned by Liberal candidate for Isaacs Garry Spencer. Mr Spencer says media statements by state Labor Transport Minister Jacinta Allan and federal Labor Isaacs MP Mark Dreyfus this month was full of “weasel words” and did not rule out sky rail (Sky rail ‘grounded’, The News 15/6/16). “Mark Dreyfus can’t hide behind Labor’s weasel words,” Mr Spencer said in a statement. “Whether Labor wants to call it sky rail or not, whether it is 23km of continuous elevated rail or several multi-kilometre stretches, people…

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“EXCRUCIATING pain” caused Kingston councillor Rosemary West to go to her doctor but she was surprised by the diagnosis – sepsis. Sepsis is blood poisoning caused by toxins and is ultimately what killed boxing legend and activist Muhammad Ali this month when the 74-year-old, who also suffered from Parkinson’s disease, succumbed to organ failure due to “septic shock”. Cr West says a doctor told her she had the highest level of toxins in her blood seen in a St Vincent’s Hospital admission. “The disease, sometimes described as a staph infection, blood poisoning or most simply sepsis is not well known,”…

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A COUNCIL watchdog has delivered its verdict on the conduct of two Frankston councillors at a public event at The Deck bar late last year. Deputy mayor Cr Colin Hampton and Cr Darrel Taylor faced a Municipal Association of Victoria facilitated councillor conduct panel hearing in May to answer accusations of misbehaviour at a marketing campaign launch by developer Peninsula Blue Developments to sell 91 apartments at the planned $80 million Allure Bayside building in Davey St. The Times understands the panel found Cr Hampton breached code of conduct clauses in the Local Government Act over the way he spoke…

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BIPARTISANSHIP is thin on the ground around plans to tackle the scourge of ice in Dunkley ahead of the 2 July federal election. Both the Liberal and Labor candidates for the marginal seat are taking pot-shots at political opponents over similar approaches to help drug users in the Frankston and Mornington regions to hopefully also drive down crime associated with ice. Liberal contender Chris Crewther launched an “ice action plan” this month to establish a Frankston and peninsula taskforce “to fight the savage effects of the drug” and said Labor had ignored increasing ice use. “Labor ignored ice. Labor failed…

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