FRANKSTON Council officers have been briefed by federal government departments about the risk of “intelligence gathering” ahead of a planned visit from an overseas delegation. A delegation from the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government in China is scheduled to visit Frankston later this year. The visit will mark the 15-year anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Wuxi and Frankston. At their most recent public meeting, Frankston councillors approved spending up to $4000 from its sister cities budget on formalities, with most of the money to be spent on a formal reception event at Frankston Arts Centre. The report on the matter…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
THE federal government has tabled its official response to the outcome of an anti-gambling inquiry chaired by late Dunkley MP Peta Murphy. The “You win some, you lose more” report, more commonly referred to as the “Murphy Report” in Canberra, was published in mid-2024. The federal government finally announced its planned gambling reform earlier this year and tabled its full response to the report in Parliament last week. The federal government has been criticised for not acting on all of the Murphy Report’s recommendations to reduce gambling harm. Its response to the report read that “The Government notes the 31…
FRANKSTON councillors have approved their budget for the next financial year, signing off on a big cash splash for the Frankston Stadium project. The 2026/2027 budget, which implements a rate rise of 2.75 percent, was passed at council’s public meeting last week. The rate rise is the maximum allowed under the state government’s rate-capping system. The amount of money that Frankston Council expects to collect from ordinary rates has risen by 4 percent. Crs David Asker, Brad Hill, Michael O’Reilly, Cherie Wanat, Steffie Conroy, and Sue Baker voted to approve the budget, while Crs Nathan Butler and Kris Bolam opposed.…
A PLAN to offer rate relief to Frankston residents was shut down without debate at Frankston Council’s most recent meeting. Frankston Council considered its annual budget at its 11 May public meeting, with the budget drafted by council officers containing a 2.75 percent rate rise. Cr Nathan Butler attempted to raise a proposal investigating a rate reduction, but his plan was not accepted for debate by the mayor. Cr Butler can be clearly heard on the council meeting recording asking for his alternate motion to be considered, but the mayor Sue Baker proceeded with the original recommendation without acknowledging Cr Butler.…
KINGSTON Council is pushing back against plans to introduce glass recycling bins across Victoria. The state government is directing all Victorian councils to introduce a glass recycling bin by the middle of next year. At their most recent meeting, Kingston councillors voted to advocate for changes to the proposal. Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley said that the introduction of a fourth bin would be an unreasonable financial burden on ratepayers. “The introduction of a separate glass bin is estimated to cost around $3.7 million upfront, with ongoing costs of about $1 million every year, costs that would ultimately be passed on…