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Wednesday 16 February 2022
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Ability gives rise to extended courses
FOR a small school, the Somerville Rise Primary School community certainly thinks big. Because of its impressive academic results, students have been selected several years in a row for enrolment in the Victorian High-Ability Program, an Education Department-run virtual program which provides high ability students with extension courses in mathematics and English. High ability practice leader Adam Poole, pictured, said the program enabled the school’s grade 5 and 6 participants to interact online with students from other schools who may have the same interests and learning styles and provided them a social outlet as well as academic enrichment. Selection for the program is based on results, and Mr Poole said the school was proud that students had been selected several years in a row for a program that “really helps to bring the best out of the students”. He said the school ran several enrichment programs for high ability students and had been selected to grow golden wattle seeds for the Australia Seeds in Space program. The seeds had already been into space for six months before returning, first to Japan last year, and then to Australia for quarantine. Mr Poole said NASA was interested in determining whether seeds can survive exposure to the space environment and germinate to provide a future food source. He said students were ecstatic to be part of the international program and had embraced the challenge. They had joined students from across Australia who have been selected to be part of the scientific inquiry, which will compare the seeds to control seeds that have not been to space. Liz Bell
Call for inquiry into trust ‘approvals’ Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au THE Victorian Governor Linda Dessau has been asked to investigate the “due process failings” of state government departments involved in approving appointments to the Bass Park Trust. Although no longer Mornington Peninsula Shire’s chosen representative on the trust, Cr David Gill never received approval from the Governor in Council during the four consecutive
years he held that position. His place on the trust was filled last June by the now mayor, Cr Anthony Marsh, although Cr Gill is still invited to attend meetings by the trust (“Trust says ‘no’ to council’s chosen delegate” The News 15/6/21). Cr Marsh said on Friday that he thought it “inappropriate and unnecessary” for Cr Gill to write to Ms Dessau as he was not the shire’s “appointee or mayor”. He said Cr Gill had not told him about the letter to Ms Dessau.
“I have been informed by the office of [Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister] Lily D’Ambrosio [my] appointment has been signed off by the minister. I do not believe it has been signed off by the premier [Daniel Andrews] or governor at this stage,” Cr Marsh said. “While it would have been great to have had the appointment ratified by now, I suspect it’s a relatively low priority for the premier and governor (“Marsh ‘excited’ by trust ‘progress’” The News 26/7/21).”
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In his letter to the governor Cr Gill said most people “elected or appointed” to the trust “have waited years for your approval”. He said the trust — which “looks after” land donated by the public nearly a century ago, including Flinders Golf Course and yacht club — was one of three community committees on the peninsula that needed the Governor in Council to ratify appointments. “Relevant ministers, Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) and the local MP have
allowed these appointments to stay in limbo for up to 10 years, resulting in legal issues for the committee,” Cr Gill stated. “Could you please investigate, as this should have been a simple administrative procedure of DELWP forwarding names to you after finalising propriety checks? “After all, the representatives are publicly elected excluding the local councillor representing [the shire] and two representatives from the golf course.” Continued Page 5
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