Bellarine Times
Tuesday 16 November 2010
VOL 3. No 46
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
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TAKE YOUR PICK Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville and Liberal candidate Kurt Reiter took part in last week’s community forum in Portarlington.
Photo: MICHAEL CHAMBERS
Bellarine voters given a wide choice of candidates for next week’s state election
BY ALISON MARTIN
while the community was able to ask specific questions on local issues and representation. Ocean Grove Community Association chair, John Fendyk, said the event was successful, with more than 160 people attending. “The session gave people a first contact, as they will probably not get around to meeting all the candidates,” he said. “Issues were not specific to individual townships, except for the ferry/safe harbour, but more general issues regarding health, transport, roadworks and who was getting preferences from which party.” Bellarine Ferry Group spokesperson and Portarlington Community Association member, John Rae, asked Neville and Reiter to commit to the ferry project, which relies on the Portarlington harbour masterplan to be funded for ferry berths to be developed.
BELLARINE voters will have a choice of eight candidates for this month’s state election. The Bellarine ballot was drawn on Friday and will include Democratic Labor Party’s Klaus Clapinski; Family First’s Lara Duff; ALP and sitting member Lisa Neville; Independent Stephen Juhasz; Australia Greens’ Judy Baldacchino; Socialist Alliance’s Mitch Cherry; Liberal Party’s Kurt Reiter and Country Alliance candidate Nick McCallum. While nominations only closed last week, the campaign for the major parties is well under way, with six of the eight candidates facing a community forum last Wednesday, hosted by the Affiliation of Community Associations. The forum provided an opportunity for candidates to present key policy and campaign commitments,
Surf Forecast
70F%F O
Neville, who is also Minister for Mental Health, announced this week the ALP would invest $4 million to build a new Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) service in Geelong. She said the Bellarine would also benefit from an $85million investment for a new public hospital in Geelong’s southern suburbs and a future Labor Government would also spend a further $80million on expanding beds and operating theatres at the existing Geelong Hospital. Reiter said a Coalition Government would seal the potholed Wallington Primary School access road and provide $200,000 for the Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club facilities. Reiter also said the Point Lonsdale SLSC was a local institution, that provided valuable service to the community and he committed $200,000 towards the club’s relocation.
WED 1-3ft building, WNW 20° THU 2-4ft+ quality, WSW 17° FRI 3-5ft easing NE 17° SAT 2-3ft+ poor SE 20°
one piece is never enough
UP TO
“We asked both members to commit to the design planning and commencement of the safe harbour in 2011 and what amount,” Rae said. “Lisa Neville said the ALP would be making a lot of announcements before the election and confirmed that two transport companies have expressed interest in the ferry. “Kurt Reiter said the Liberal Party won’t know until they get into government and see the books but after consulting with the community, he said his number one project would be the ferry but they need the harbour to make it happen.” However, both the ALP and Liberal Party have made several major pledges over the past week, with Neville committing $20million for the duplication of a three-kilometre stretch of the Bellarine Highway and around $6million to redevelop the Portarlington Primary School if re-elected.
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