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Pool returns with a splash THE Pines Pool opens for the summer season this week. The Pines Forest Aquatic Centre opens on 1 November. Peninsula Leisure CEO Kath Thom said that the organisation was looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the facility. “The pool is looking great for another big outdoor pool season,” she said. “Once again, the seasonal pools will be a great place to cool down and have some fun. There will be lots happening over summer from free community events, learn to swim opportunities and school swimming carnivals. Don’t forget to get your season pass for unlimited access to this award winning facility.” Frankston Council has been advocating for money from other levels of government to upgrade the pool, but has not yet been successful in getting the project funded. The pool will close again in March 2023. Picture: Supplied.
Public booted after council meeting mayhem Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au THE public gallery was thrown out of a tense Frankston Council meeting last week. Tensions have been running high at council’s recent public meetings. A marathon four-hour meeting last week was stopped on multiple occasions as debate broke down into arguments, and the public gallery made repeated interjections. By the end of the meet-
ing the public had been removed and the mayor had threatened to boot one councillor from the room. The public gallery was kicked out during debate on the future of the traders at the base of Olivers Hill. One member of the gallery shouted that councillors were “disgusting” as the mayor closed the meeting. Interruptions from members of the public at council meetings have increased in frequency throughout the year. Frankston mayor Nathan Conroy told The Times that the removal of the gallery was justified. “This week is the
first time this council has unfortunately needed to ask the public gallery to leave a meeting. While not my preference, this will be the course of action if council deliberations and debate are affected by the public attendance. However, I do encourage residents to attend meetings and respectfully watch our democratic process in action,” he said. “There is of course opportunity for the community to be part of the conversation. Residents are able to make submissions to speak on the items being considered by council and in turn we are able to consider their views.
“It is important all council debate is done respectfully in a fair and balanced manner, and in turn the same is said for community participation. It is my role to be impartial and ensure councillors have the opportunity to be heard. To do this I need to manage interjections from the public gallery and ensure this does not affect or stall council deliberations.” After being repeatedly called out on points of order throughout the 24 October meeting, councillor Steven Hughes was nearly ejected from the room. Conroy issued him a final warn-
ing towards the end of the meeting, telling him he would be sent outside for 15 minutes if he continued to misbehave. Not for the first time, Steven Hughes compared a law proposed by Frankston Council at its last meeting to those found in North Korea. After a failed attempt to cut him off from speaking on a different matter he was allowed to continue, which he sensationally likened to being “reprieved from death row”. Continued page 4