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Wednesday 9 August 2023
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School’s in for tree planting STUDENTS at Somerville Primary School took to gardening with a purpose on Friday, planting more than 500 plants for National Tree Day. Science teacher and sustainability manager Chris Williams said the entire school was involved in the special event that aimed to highlight the importance of protecting and preserving nature. He said the students enjoyed doing their bit for the environment and learning more about the plant world. Digging in: Helping out at Somerville Primary School on National Tree Day are Kai, Jayden and teacher Chris Williams (Teacher), Sienna and Mia. Picture: Gary Sissons
Shire’s show and tell for MPs Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au Mornington Peninsula Shire last week injected a bit of showbiz into its lobbying for money and support from the state government. The mayor Cr Steve Holland, and CEO John Baker last Wednesday took to the stage in Queen’s Hall, Parliament House to remind MPs and anyone else moving through the hall that the peninsula has problems as well as attractions for tourists. Baker told the assembled audience - including councillors and coun-
cil officers - that about 4000 of the peninsula’s 170,000 residents were experiencing homelessness. “Predominantly it’s women sleeping in cars with kids,” he said. “Typically, they're divorced, they've been left with a couple of kids, and they've got nowhere to live. They've done all the sofa surfing. They've done all the staying-with-friends and now the last thing they've got left is their car.” Holland said the shire was staging the event to highlight important community priorities “and bust some of the myths about the peninsula”. “Over our three-day showcase we are hoping to talk to as many sitting
members as possible about the benefits of the projects not only for our local community, but for all Victorians,” Holland said. The presentation came one week after Holland warned the state government would “further centralise [its planning] power” on the back of an investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission into planning decisions by Casey Council (“Councils fear state planning takeover” The News 1/8/23). But those warnings were not mentioned as the shire “took our community’s message directly to the decision-makers, ensuring we were
heard above 78 other councils across Victoria,” Holland told The News. Comedian and radio presenter Sammy J was hired as master of ceremonies for Wednesday’s presentation, with further entertainment provided by Katrina Waters, of the Mornington Peninsula Chorale choir. MPs would have found the shire’s bid to get their attention hard to avoid as they passed through Queen’s Hall on their way to either the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council. The venue is regarded as one of Melbourne’s most prestigious function and event venues. “We wanted to highlight opportuni-
ties for government investment that would unlock significant economic and wellbeing benefits for our community,” Holland said, asserting “the benefits of this showcase will last for months and years to come”. “We made connections that we will follow up and which will allow us to keep making our case for more investment.” In his prepared speech, Holland said the peninsula was “a far more complex community than many people realise … a microcosm of Victoria as a whole”. Continued Page 7
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