LABOR has won government after voters turfed out the Napthine Coalition government at Saturday’s state election. A swing of about 2.5 per cent across Victoria was more than enough to ensure Labor leader Daniel Andrews will be the state’s next premier. Dr Denis Napthine, who succeeded Ted Baillieu as premier in 2013 without facing the state’s voters, expressed “thanks to all Victorians for the great honour and privilege of being the 47th Premier” via a message on social media site Twitter on Sunday. Many political analysts put the Coalition government’s defeat down to “inaction” during Baillieu’s time as premier after…
Author: Neil Walker
A TOWERING 17-storey apartment building in the centre of Frankston has been given the go ahead by council after the developer was forced to add more car parking spaces. The skyline at Frankston’s famous – some might say infamous – ‘four pubs’ corner will be dominated by the $30 million apartment tower which will feature a “curvilinear shape” and be the tallest building in Frankston once complete. The 6 Davey St complex designed by Finnis Architects will contain up to 63 homes and residents of two and three-bedroom homes will be well placed to observe pubgoers coming and going from…
SEAFORD Beach Cabin Park residents still have the prospect of eviction looming over them with a new deadline for Frankston Council to stop a lease on Crown land fast approaching. Council has decided not to renew the lease on part of the cabin park where 20 cabins, housing about 40 families, are located. Residents received a temporary reprieve from eviction when council moved the deadline from the end June this year to March next year. Negotiations between cabin park owner Michael Hibbert and council regarding a possible land swap deal which would allow the 20 cabins to remain onsite are…
CRIME overall is reducing in the City of Kingston, with the rate down 2.3 per cent 2013-2014. Acting Inspector Janene Denton said that, over the past 12 months, the number of robberies had fallen 23.3 per cent, assaults (excluding family violence assaults) 3.7 per cent and property damage 13.7 per cent. But she said residential burglaries and theft from motor cars were “of particular concern”. “We have seen an increase in these two crime categories throughout the municipality with residential burglaries up 10.2 per cent and theft from cars up 17.1 per cent.” Most of the thefts from motor cars…
THE daughter of former Victorian premier Sir Rupert Hamer visited Kingston’s Green Wedge last week to see how her late father’s legacy could be threatened by encroaching development. Julia Hamer joined Defenders of the South East Green Wedge president Trevor Shewan and fellow environmentalists on a cycle ride from Seaford wetlands to Braeside Park and the Southern Golf Club. Her father, a Liberal premier from 1972 until 1981, famously described the non-urban green wedges as “the lungs of Melbourne”. The Hamer government mapped out the green wedges to protect future generations from excessive urban sprawl. Ms Hamer said the environmentally-sensitive…