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Wednesday 18 September 2024
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St Joseph’s recognised for environment work ST Joseph’s Primary School was last week named as a finalist for the Tidy Town Awards 2024, Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education, after being shortlisted for their Save the Moonah Woodlands Project. Students at St Josephs have been propagating and planting with volunteer groups and rangers for the last five years, planting plants that they have been nurturing and growing. This year saw a massive focus on Save the Moonah Woodlands after they were invited by People and Park Foundation CEO, Alison Hill, to participate in ‘Moonah NatureWise’ on the Mornington Peninsula. Moonah NatureWise involves learning about and practicing Nature Dosing - connecting with and caring for Moonah Woodland Communities. Principal at St Joseph’s, Monica O’Shannassy believes that the “sustainability program at St Joseph’s is an integral part of our connecting with the community for our students.” Picture: Supplied
State demand shire hand over short stay data Cameron McCullough cameron@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is facing an unintended consequence of their short stay accommodation law, with the State Revenue Office demanding they hand over their database of short stay property owners. It is believed the data will be
used by the SRO for “ascertaining whether liabilities exist under the provisions of the Land Tax Act and the Taxation Administration Act”. The Mornington Peninsula Short Stay Accommodation Local Law 2018 was introduced with great fanfare to place responsibility for occupant behaviour in short stay rental accommodation (SSRA) on the owner of the property. It requires the registration of all
short stay properties on the Mornington Peninsula, and the payment of an annual fee that currently stands at $352. The local law requires owners of short stay accommodation to: n Appoint a designated contact person to respond to neighbour complaints within two hours n Ensure occupants adhere to a code of conduct n Provide adequate off-street park-
ing and garbage bins n Display a registration number on all online platforms that advertise the property. At the time of the law’s introduction in 2018, the Mornington Peninsula had been dealing with ongoing problems of anti-social behaviour at short stay accommodation. The local law was touted as the first of its kind in the state (New laws flagged for ‘party houses’, The
News 13/11/2017), with the shire stating “the aim of the proposed law is to address the impacts of anti-social behaviour by occupants of short stay rental accommodation properties across the peninsula. “It follows complaints each summer by neighbouring residents about rowdy tenants who ruin their weekends with late-night noise and alcohol-fuelled aggression.” Continued Page 8