FRANKSTON councillors are threatening to protest on the steps of parliament to force the state government into doing something about crime in their city.
At last week’s council meeting, frustrated councillors slammed successive state governments for allegedly neglecting to care about crime in the city – particularly around the train station.
Councillors agree drug addicts needed rehabilitation help but are concerned about “a cluster” of six pharmacies near the station that dispense opioid replacement therapies such as methadone.
They note a “secondary market” of dealing in methadone to fuel drug habits has sprung up in the city centre and some of the pharmacies’ clients travel from outside the area to hang around the station and Young St.
There are 576 clients registered for opiod replacement therapy in Frankston’s city centre, up from 192 ten years ago.
Both sides of politics were condemned by councillors for years of neglect when it comes to tackling Frankston’s drugs problem, but the harshest criticism was reserved for Crime Prevention Minister Edward O’Donohue. He came to Frankston last month and viewed footage of drug addicts “shooting up” in full view of passersby and within 100 metres of the train station and police station.
Councillors showed Mr O’Donohue CCTV footage of drug addicts including a mother injecting herself while her young child was present.
Cr Colin Hampton said the minister had denied drug taking on Frankston streets was something he could do anything about.
“I was very disappointed in ‘the minister for crime prevention’ [Mr O’Donohue]… he said ‘I’m sorry, this is not within my portfolio’…can you believe that?”.
Frankston’s drugs scourge had been put in the “too hard basket” by the state government, according to Cr James Dooley.
“They need to start listening to us,” he said. “It’s the whole community that’s suffering because of the lack of action here.”
Cr Dooley is seeking preselection to be Labor’s candidate for Frankston at this year’s state election after Helen Constas’ sudden exit from the race.
The mayor, Cr Darrel Taylor, who made an unsuccessful bid earlier this year to be the Liberal Party’s candidate for Frankston, was also critical of the Coalition government’s failure to act.
Cr Taylor said he was “frustrated” at problems council had trying to arrange meetings with government ministers to discuss the problem.
“It’s a very sad state of affairs when a council has to go to the extent of releasing footage to a program like A Current Affair just to get the attention of those who are elected to listen.”
Council released CCTV footage of drug users’ behaviour on Frankston streets to Channel 9 last month in a bid to gain wider coverage of the drugs problem.
“We know they (ministers) are very busy but they should make a concerted effort to come here and listen [at a time of their convenience],” Cr Taylor said.
He said he was glad to hear Labor opposition leader Daniel Andrews would visit Frankston to listen to councillors’ concerns.
Cr Taylor said council had also arranged a meeting with the Minister for Human Services Mary Wooldridge and the minister “would be given the same presentation as Mr Andrews.”
It is understood Ms Wooldridge originally agreed to meet the mayor and council CEO, but will now see other councillors when she visits.
The mayor said Frankston voters should listen to whichever party would do something about the problem when casting their vote at November’s state election.
A spokesman for minister of crime prevention Edward O’Donohue told The Times council should stop “childish sniping”.
“It was made clear to council before the minister’s visit that he does not have responsibility for drug issues,” the spokesman said.
“He agreed, in good faith, to meet with council as crime prevention minister, as member for a neighbouring electorate, and as a Mornington Peninsula resident.”
The spokesman said Mr O’Donohue had announced Coalition government crime prevention funding for extra CCTV cameras in Frankston’s city centre last year but these had not yet been installed.
“Council has not yet bothered to install these cameras,” he said.
“Instead of engaging in childish sniping, council should get on with implementing the crime prevention measures that are already available as a result of Napthine government funding.”
At the meeting last week, exasperated councillors declared they could be forced to publicly protest on the steps of parliament to finally have their pleas for help acknowledged by the state government.
A notice of motion by Cr Brian Cunial to seek urgent meetings with the minister for police, minister for public transport, minister for tourism and minister for planning to “to discuss the negative impacts that the concentration of pharmacotherapy outlets are having” on safety, tourism, transport and business development in Frankston was unanimously backed by councillors.
Mr O’Donohue will also be invited to another meeting with councillors.
