OWNERS of vacant land in Frankston’s city centre are set to face big rate increases. Under a proposal put forward by Frankston Council, vacant properties within the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre and along the Nepean Highway would be subject to a differential rate three times higher than the general rate. Frankston mayor Kris Bolam said the proposed change would address “land banking” and encourage developers to build. “There are several key locations across our city that have remained vacant since the early 2000s. This kind of tactical underdevelopment is no longer sustainable, so the council is taking steps to counteract…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
MARK Dreyfus has been elected member for Isaacs for a seventh time. Dreyfus was first elected in 2007. On Saturday he comfortably retained the seat as Labor secured a landslide election win. With just over 72 percent of the vote counted, Dreyfus holds a massive 14.9 percent lead over Liberal Fiona Ottey on the two-party-preferred count. The Liberals have badly struggled to gain traction in Isaacs in recent times. In 2019 Liberal candidate Jeremy Hearn was disendorsed by the party before election day, and in 2022 the Liberal campaign was damaged when candidate Robbie Beaton was found to have provided…
Jodie Belyea has been re-elected as the member for Dunkley. Belyea comfortably retained her seat during an outstanding night for the Labor Party. Labor will form government, and have a majority in Parliament for the next three years. Belyea’s Liberal challenger was former Frankston mayor Nathan Conroy. The two also contested the march 2024 by-election – on Saturday Belyea expanded her winning margin. As of 5 May, Belyea leads Conroy by 7.1 percent on the two-party-preferred count with roughly74 percent of the vote counted. Belyea leads the first-preference count by more than 5000 votes. As of 5 May the Greens…
THE RSPCA is investigating reports of dangerously underweight horses at a Mt Eliza property. Protesters have gathered regularly at the Moorooduc Highway property to draw attention towards the condition of the horses. The RSPCA has now confirmed it is looking into the situation. “RSPCA Victoria is actively investigating a case of seven underweight horses and working with the owner to improve their health. We appreciate the community’s concern and can confirm we have an active investigation regarding this matter,” the RSPCA statement read. “Our inspectors will continue to attend and investigate this matter to ensure any welfare concerns are rectified…
TWO major decisions made by Kingston Council have been invalidated after legal advice received in the wake of the decision to stand down councillor Jane Agirtan. Agirtan faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on 7 April – she has been charged with breaching a personal safety intervention order. On 9 April Kingston Council confirmed Agirtan had been stood down under section 229 of the Local Government Act 2020, which states that the Chief Municipal Inspector has the power to refer a councillor to VCAT for an order to stand down if they are charged with a crime where the maximum penalty is…