MORNINGTON Peninsula and bayside businesses are experiencing the fallout from increasing COVID-19 infections, with some having to close at their busiest time of the year due to staff shortages. Hotel Sorrento closed its restaurant and bar on New Year’s Eve “due to health and safety reasons” and will not open until 7 January. The hotel was impacted due to a positive COVID-19 case on Thursday, December 30. Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club has suffered a similar fate, with nine staff testing positive, along with several members. However, instead of closing the club will reduce its restaurant operations and has halted…
Author: Liz Bell
THE COVID crisis is escalating on the Mornington Peninsula as the population swells over summer and the health system buckles under enormous strain. Staff shortages at Peninsula Health and rising COVID-19 cases in Frankston and on the peninsula threatens to cripple the health system, with health workers struggling to keep up with demand and reports that up to 40 per cent of nurses have resigned. There are reports from staff that ambulances are being forced to divert patients away from Frankston Hospital and some are having to “ramp” for long periods while they wait for confirmation of where patients can…
LIKE so many young people, school just didn’t cut it for Frankston teenagers Jessica and Adam, but that’s not the end of the story thanks to a program that is helping them learn valuable employment skills. Young people in the Frankston area who have been disengaged from school for 18 months or more are being given an opportunity to explore career options away from the confines of school thanks to a new pre-apprenticeship program funded by the Apprenticeship Employment Network (AEN), in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence. Skillinvest program developer Jarrod Flanigan said the program was designed to…
THE Frankston-based Peninsula Community Legal Centre has welcomed the support of high-profile domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty in the fight to stop funding cuts that could cripple the service and the community. The legal service has helped thousands of low-income clients to access free legal advice and representation every year since opening 40 years ago, with the majority of clients seeking help with family law and domestic violence-related matters. The centre’s chief executive officer Jackie Galloway said domestic violence was a “scourge” on the Frankston community, and free legal help for those affected was essential to keep them safe, housed…
PRESSURE is mounting to stop demolition of the iconic building that once housed Manyung Gallery in Mt Eliza. More than 400 people signed a petition in just three days to prevent the loss of the building. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has approved plans to turn the Nepean Highway site into a childcare centre, but demolition orders were put on hold until 31 March after the owner of neighbouring Licciardo’s Bar and Grill, Rob Licciardo, took the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Archaeologist and Mt Eliza resident, Peter Jupp, who organised the petition, said the building should be…