MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire, neighbouring Frankston and municipalities across the state have been warned to watch out for corruption when buying goods and services. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) says corruption and kickbacks uncovered at Darebin and Ballarat councils “are likely to be faced by most, if not all, councils in Victoria”. “Allegations of corruption associated with council procurement practices and processes are a recurring theme in the complaints received and investigated by IBAC,” IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich QC said. In a special report to parliament IBAC warns that councils need to consider the way they manage procurement to reduce…
Author: Keith Platt
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is being urged to be a “small business friendly council” by joining 18 municipalities that have signed a charter with the Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC). Agreeing to sign the charter would see the shire partner with the VSBC to “provide small businesses with the support they need to run their businesses”. The suggestion for the shire to sign up comes from the business-backed Committee for Mornington Peninsula (C4MP), which is also lobbying for the shire to be recognised by governments as “regional” rather than “metropolitan”. “Small businesses are the heartbeat of the peninsula economy and deserve…
PENINSULA Aero Club is working to get its 2020 air show off the ground despite delays caused by a dispute over a permit with Mornington Peninsula Shire. A last-minute settlement with the shire has sent club members metaphorically scrambling to get the show together on time. Club president Jack Vevers late on Sunday predicted all the necessary paperwork would be completed this week and confirmed the show would go ahead as originally planned. “We’re in the process of resurrecting it all,” Mr Vevers said of the air show which, earlier this month, he announced was cancelled. The shire issued a…
INCREASING money for free legal services could help improve the early detection of family violence on the Mornington Peninsula and in Frankston. The Peninsula Community Legal Centre, which has offices in Frankston, Rosebud and Cranbourne, says increasing the financing of “health justice partnerships” is a key to improving the early detection of family violence. In a submission to Victoria’s mental health royal commission, the legal centre says “specialist pathways” are needed to connect patients who are victims of domestic violence to lawyers experienced in psychosocial health and family violence. These pathways must come from both the public and private health…
THERE will be no further steps taken to restore sand to the beach or protect beach boxes at Mt Martha North. A report released on Friday by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) found that the most feasible options at the beach are to “monitor” and, if necessary, reinforce a rock wall protecting the bottom of the cliff and “allow natural processes to take place without further intervention”. “This option aligns with the Victorian Coastal Strategy’s directive to allow natural coastal processes as the preferred approach to coastal erosion management,” the report states. It also recommends Mount…