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Tuesday 1 September 2020
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Animals need protection from mask problem FACE masks have now become a part of daily life. Wearing them outside the house is compulsory and may stay that way even when the stage four coronavirus restrictions are lifted or eased. Disposing of the masks, which can take years to break down, has become a massive world wide problem. Not only are discarded masks potential spreaders of the coronavrirus (research shows that under certain conditions viruses can survive up to seven days on plastic masks), but they are also a danger to wildlife. Masks can smother the environment and are ingested by animals which sometimes cannot distinguish between plastic and their prey. If ingested, masks and other plastics swell and fill an animal’s stomach. Smaller animals can also become entangled in the masks. While no official guidelines have yet been issued on the best way to dispose of masks, there are obvious benefits to using reusable masks. Disposable masks should be placed in rubbish bins and not with recyclables. THE young silver gull at left was photographed by volunteers with the Safety Beach/Dromana Beach Patrol. Alongside the discarded face masks were plastic straws, mini-soy containers, plastic film and cigarette butts
Anger over MP’s poll roll Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au NEPEAN MP Chris Brayne has involved himself in the October Mornington Peninsula Shire Council elections by listing several candidates on his Facebook page. In doing so, he has angered several sitting councillors and is in line to be admonished by the shire for using its logo. Amanda Sapolu, the shire’s head of governance and legal, said the shire
logo - prominently reproduced on Mr Brayne’s Facebook page - is trademark-protected corporate intellectual property. “It should only be used for council endorsed business and should not be used without permission,” Ms Sapolu told The News. “It should not be used by candidates in their election campaigns.” Six the shire 11 councillors have announced they will not be seeking re-election at the Saturday 24 October elections. A big field of candidates is expected
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to contest the elections, although the exact number will not be known until the close of nominations on Tuesday 22 September. Voting will be done by post and because of the COVID-19 restrictions candidates will have few chances to meet voters. A minimum of six new faces on the new council could lead to some decisions or policies of the existing council being overturned or amended. Of particular interest will be the stance taken by the future council towards Tyabb airfield and the con-
tentious, and costly, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearings scheduled for early next year. Councillors who have said they will seek re-election are Kate Roper (Cerberus Ward), David Gill (Red Hill), Hugh Fraser (Nepean) and Antonella Celi and Simon Brooks (Seawinds). On his Facebook page Mr Brayne - a first term Labor MP - says the upcoming elections will provide “the opportunity to vote for some new councillors”. “We have some really good people who have decided to put their hands up
to run this year.” Mr Brayne then urges his followers to “feel free to give their [Facebook] pages a like and ask them some questions”. The candidates listed by Mr Brayne are Jared Tipping, who will be opposing Crs Celi and Brooks in Seawinds Ward; Melissa Goffin and Claire Thorn, who will stand against Cr Gill in Red Hill; Sarah Race, who will stand for the two-councillor ward of Nepean where Cr Bryan Payne is not seeking re-election and Cr Hugh Fraser is. Continued Page 6
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