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Wednesday 24 February 2021
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Mud no obstacle for angels’ fear of tread
CLIMATE Guardian Angels brave the less than firm seabed at Crib Point in protest against AGL’sa proposed gas import terminal (main picture), while police speak with and anti-angel protester before leading him away (right) and a photographer directs an angel for publicity (far right). Pictures: Gary Sissons
THE Climate Guardian Angels were out on the mudflats at Crib Point on Monday (22 February) to highlight what an “environmental travesty” power company AGL’s gas import terminal would be for Western Port. The “performance collective” believes its direct action can “communicate important and sensitive information in non-threatening and yet enormously effective ways”. The “angels” have been around since early 2013 “holding powerful polluters and their enablers (such as politicians, media and financiers) responsible for the climate and biodiversity crisis to account”. This time, they have been joined in their criticism of AGL by the state Opposition and Flinders MP, Greg Hunt. In 2015, when Mr Hunt was environment minister, the angels’ performance involved climbing onto the roof of his Hastings office opposing his approval of Adani’s Queensland coal mine. But last week state and federal Liberals were on the side of the angels, spreading the word against AGL’s proposal (“Opposition against AGL gas terminal” The News 9/2/21). On Monday, the angels brought along their own photographer for some publicity stills while police led away a man who questioned what fuelled their mode of transport. Keith Platt
Pictures: Gary Sissons
Shire’s $32,000 payout to aero club Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has been ordered to pay $32,000 to Peninsula Aero Club for costs incurred during an ongoing fight over permit conditions. The club had sought $53,000 during a two-day Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing in July 2020, which saw both sides represented by lawyers and one witness called by the club. The ruling against the shire comes just months before it is again scheduled to come up against the PAC at
VCAT in a hearing called to determine what activities can be carried out at the airfield at the corner of MorningtonTyabb and Stuart roads, Tyabb (“Shire, aero club head for VCAT showdown” The News 18/8/20). The decision to proceed with that action could depend on the eight councillors elected last November. Soon after the election, all 11 of the shire’s councillors were invited to visit the airfield in the hope of finding a “circuit breaker” to resolve ongoing disputes between the PAC and the shire (“Aero club tries to short circuit” The News 16/11/20). The PAC also involved itself in the
election by issuing a how-to-vote card. Successful councillors who were given the PAC’s number one spot were Paul Mercurio (Watson Ward), Lisa Dixon (Cerberus) and Anthony Marsh (Briars) (“Deadline close for most unusual poll” The News 13/10/20). In February, VCAT overruled the shire and allowed a maintenance shed to be moved within the confines of the Tyabb airfield and, in September, it ordered the shire to remove the so-called Holy Hour restriction on flying on Sunday mornings (“VCAT backs aero club against shire” The News 25/2/20 and “Turbulence ahead despite aero club’s win” The News 8/9/21).
At that stage PAC president Jack Vevers said the VCAT decision had “paved the way to substantiate our contention that our airport operations are lawful uses under our permits”. Then mayor Cr Sam Hearn said the decision was “welcomed by council in its pursuit of clarity”. The ruling was “a small but important step in our ongoing quest to fix the current confusion about decades’ old permits”. “Let’s sort this long running permit mess out once and for all so we can all move on to building a healthy PAC, a growing airfield and a well-informed community confident in its coexistence
with the facility,” Cr Hearn said. In awarding costs against the shire last week, VCAT senior member Jeanette Rickards said PAC would not receive all it wanted “although PAC has sought an amount less than what it says it incurred in costs”. “It is well known that the recovery of costs is not a punishment but to assist in putting the applicant's costs back into the position it would have been prior to the making of the applications,” Ms Rickards stated in her finding. The shire’s “position statement” on the three key planning permits relating to the airfield is available at: mornpen. vic.gov.au/tyabbairfield
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