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Tuesday 21 June 2016
5973 6424 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au
Walkers for a cause FOUR fit and active women are setting off on a 100 kilometre walk tomorrow (Wednesday) to raise $15,000 for the Dogs for Diggers program which assists veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Leading seamen Freya Halliday and Kathleen Price, of HMAS Cerberus, personal trainer Lisa Beakley, and Navy wife Rachael Eslick, all 30, start their four-day Mornington Peninsula walk on Wednesday. The four women have been training for past four months with weekly 10km walks. Initially their target was $7500 for three dogs but, by Monday, they had already received $9000 and so their target has doubled. Their walk will take in Dromana, Portsea, Point Nepean and then along the Bass Strait coast to Cape Schanck, returning to Dromana through the Mornington Peninsula National Park. Fit and enthusiastic: Rachael Eslick, leading seamen Freya Halliday and Kathleen Price, and Lisa Beakley. Picture: Yanni See “Walkers set off for dogs to help troubled minds” Page 5
Mayor allowed over the ‘limit’ Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au A TRIP to Canberra this week by Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Graham Pittock on top of him already spending more than $10,000 in "professional development" has again highlighted concerns about the vagueness of the councillor expenses policy. Cr Pittock is rubbing shoulders with political leaders at this month's National General Assembly from 19-22 June. While in Canberra Cr Pittock will
also try to persuade the federal government to help pay for the establishment of a maritime museum at Hastings. The $15 million museum will be based around the Otama submarine, which has been languishing at anchor since being brought to Western Port 14 years ago. (“Sub safe for now as moorings fixed”, see Page 3) On Monday last week, council approved Cr Pittock's request to attend, despite the mayor already having spent $10,091 on “professional development” this term. Cr Pittock will attend as an official
representative of the shire at the estimated cost of $2678 allocated to his conferences and seminars account. A report detailing the request noted that legal advice from Maddocks Lawyers in March this year found that the council's expenses policy is “not clear” and that the $4000 annual councillor allocation should be used as “an example” rather than a capped figure. As a result of the legal advice, council's governance manager Joe Spiteri said council will review the councillor expenses policy before 1 July. Cr Hugh Fraser quizzes council man-
agement over his belief that the legal advice was requested by Cr Antonella Celi, who was under fire at the time for her own expenses budget blowout. However, when CEO Carl Cowie was asked whether he received a request from Cr Celi he replied: “This one was from me”. Mr Spiteri also denied receiving a request by Cr Celi to seek legal advice on councillors' expenses, although he did recall receiving “emails of concern”. “No I didn't. I recall having a conversation with the CEO to clarify our position.” Mr Spiteri said.
He said the legal advice was “general” in nature and applied to all councillors equally. After the meeting Cr Pittock said he hoped to network with politicians and other local government officials at the assembly, which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition leader Bill Shorten. The title of this year's assembly, which will focus on ways local government around the world is being “innovative”, is Partners in Innovative and Prosperous Australia.
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