A PROPOSAL for a huge 22-storey building on Young Street will be considered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The 89 Young Street development is proposed to stand close to 74 metres tall, around 26 metres more than the preferred height limit for that area outlined in the council’s 2023 FMAC structure plan. The deadline for a council response to the proposal has passed, and the developer has applied to have VCAT consider the plan instead. At a meeting last week, Frankston councillors unanimously voted to flag their opposition to the proposal. Although the decision has been taken out…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
CRICKET PROVINCIAL AFTER a frustrating two consecutive weekends of rain interruptions and cancellations, MPCA weekend cricket returned with one-day action on Saturday. In the Provincial division, Pines won a tight one against Heatherhill. After winning the toss, Heatherhill chose to bat first. Captain Kristian Miller was the star for his side, scoring an unbeaten 96 from 104 deliveries. Miller didn’t get much support from his batting partners. Heatherhill ended up scoring 9/181 from their 40 overs. Pines openers Kane Hawkins and Nick Christides made good starts during the run chase, scoring 30 and 45 respectively before being sent back to…
AFTER three suspensions and further punishment looming over his head, Steven Hughes has resigned from Frankston Council. Frankston Council confirmed that Hughes had quit last week. The Victorian Electoral Commission is expected to conduct a countback on 15 January to replace him in the North-West Ward. Hughes was a first-time councillor elected in 2020. In the three years since, he has served three suspensions and faced multiple misconduct allegations. Hughes was most recently suspended for three months in September. A councillor conduct panel substantiated a misconduct allegation made against Hughes for social media posts published after a failed councillor conduct…
A BAN on en-bloc voting will be trialled as part of a series of anti-corruption measures set to be introduced by Kingston Council. Kingston Council has been drafting changes to its processes in the wake of Operation Sandon, the IBAC investigation which toppled Casey Council. At their most recent council meeting, Kingston councillors agreed to trial new measures to reduce corruption risk, including to ban en-bloc voting and record individual votes in published meeting minutes. Council will also develop briefing and pre-meeting protocols, and practice notes relating to meeting procedure. Training sessions on procedure and best practice will also be…
PETA Murphy’s first speech as federal member for Dunkley quoted her literary hero, Pippi Longstocking. Pippi was being warned by her friend Annika to refrain from taking on “the world’s strongest man” in competition. “Man, yes,” said Pippi. “But I am the world’s strongest girl, remember that!” The speech came just weeks after Murphy received a devastating cancer re-diagnosis. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and again in 2019 around the time she was elected the first ever female member for Dunkley. Murphy carried Pippi Longstocking’s attitude with her during her four years in Parliament. In spite…