Nepean MP Chris Brayne has suggested Senator Fraser Anning be sent to Indonesia “where, hopefully he might learn some compassion, empathy and, just maybe, come back less ignorant”. Mr Brayne was speaking in state parliament last week after the New Zealand terrorist attacks in which 50 Muslims praying at two Christchurch mosques were shot dead and dozens wounded, Friday 15 March. Senator Anning, a former One Nation and Katter Australia Party MP, later linked the shootings to immigration and called for a ban on Muslim immigration. He was controversially “egged” by a 17-year-old student when making his comments and a…
Author: Stephen Taylor
THREE men off Carrum were lucky a boat was passing when their five-metre Devil Cat sank one kilometre from shore, Sunday 10 March. Water was flooding both hulls and the boat was almost under when the trio of work colleagues jumped overboard and were picked up about 11am. The rescuing skipper, David Garrett of Pearcedale, reported the incident and stood by as Volunteer Marine Rescue vessel AK1 arrived from Mornington. VMR Mornington’s Tim Warner said “all occupants were found to be wet and shaken … but in good health”. With the upturned vessel getting closer to sinking, AK1 skipper Sean…
THE proposal by German-based Kaufland for a super store at Mornington remains up in the air despite the company being given the go ahead for stores at Dandenong, Chirnside Park and Epping. The state government was last week boasting about attracting “one of the world’s largest retailers to Victoria in a move that will create more than 1500 jobs and inject almost half a billion dollars into the state’s economy”. Mornington Peninsula Shire and a growing number of residents are objecting to Kaufland being allowed to build on the Bata shoe factory site in Nepean Highway. Economic development minister Tim…
THE former officer-in-charge at Mornington Fire Station who chose to end his life in a Swiss euthanasia clinic last week left behind a loving family, many friends – and a message to legislators. Troy Thornton, 54, who suffered from multiple system atrophy, said in an interview with website Starts at 60 “the Victorian euthanasia legislation needs to be modified to enable people like me with a chronic degenerative disease to have access to the law, not only those defined as ‘terminal’. “As a first-responder I have seen too many traumatic suicides and suicide attempts. An assisted suicide in Australia would…
A SYLLABUS mix-up at Peninsula Grammar School, Mt Eliza had the community buzzing on Friday. Principal Stuart Johnston said he “unreservedly apologised to students and their families” over the error, uncovered in October, in which material taught in two units of a VCE subject was not part of the official course. In a statement, Mr Johnston said the school had “identified differences in cross-marked grades awarded to students of the visual communications design course offered by the school”. “These errors were due to both teacher error, and failures in our oversight processes in the faculty,” Mr Johnston stated. “We deeply…