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Local ‘Think Tank’ survey shows that education and training on the Peninsula requires significant investment.


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula (CfMP) is currently undertaking a survey on local issues, and one of the early findings is the urgent need for improved training and education across the Peninsula. 

Committee for Mornington Peninsula Board Member, Shannon Smit said “So far we have had 191 people respond to our survey, and it is clear that many see training and education as a high priority. Of the business owners who responded to the survey 32% indicated they had difficulties securing appropriately trained employees. Quality education and training is going to be vitally important for the Mornington Peninsula in the recovery phase of COVID-19. We have the opportunity to revitalise the Mornington Peninsula workforce to be more productive and competitive and now is the time to make an investment in education and training that equips people for the jobs ahead. With the federal government announcement of the JobTrainer package the CfMP want to ensure the Mornington Peninsula gets access to the funding for vocational education and training”

Key insights of the survey in relation to education and training include:

  • An urgent need to revitalise the infrastructure and expand the offerings at the Chisholm TAFE Rosebud Campus.
  • Improved public transport to increase access to education and training.
  • The potential for a Mornington Peninsula University Campus that offers courses that students currently need to travel to Melbourne to undertake.
  • Potential to provide additional education and training offerings across the Mornington Peninsula including marine studies, boat building, marine biology, aquaculture, permaculture, viticulture, agriculture, horticulture, STEM and natural resource management.
  • The Mornington Peninsula being able to access the same incentives afforded to regional areas in regard to apprenticeships.

Shannon said “The CfMP welcome the recent announcement that Monash and Melbourne Universities are partnering to establish a world class marine and coastal research centre at Point Nepean” 

 

The May ABS regional jobs data that showed the region suffered one of the worst employment declines in the weeks following the pandemic ‘lock-down’ with a decline on payroll jobs of 7.9%.

 

“We knew that with our economy being so dependent on construction, hospitality, tourism, leisure and retail, that local employment would be impacted, but to see that one in every 12 paid positions has been lost reveals the true extent of the impact and the work ahead to recover these livelihoods, and quality education and training is going to be vitally important in achieving this. The CfMP in the coming weeks will be making contact with relevant education providers and all levels of government to advocate for an education and training platform that will assist the Mornington Peninsula in the COVID-19 recovery phase and into the future”  Shannon said.

The CfMP have Education, Regional Designation and Improved Infrastructure as three of their policy pillars. Shannon said “Currently many of our university students are unable to access the federal government relocation scholarship as most of the Mornington Peninsula is considered part of Melbourne. For students living in Rosebud going to the University of Melbourne, according to the PTV trip planner app, it can take up to four hours one way by public transport due to the inadequate public transport on the Mornington Peninsula. Our students and schools also miss out on the Victoria Governments Rural and Regional Education Reform suite of initiatives that provides more than $37 million over five years to address barriers to workforce development, increase access to learning opportunities for students and raise the aspirations of students”

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) ‘6160.0.55.001 - Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia, Week ending 2 May 2020’ report revealed that the Mornington Peninsula is one of worst hit regions in Victoria when it comes to job losses due to COVID-19.

The data that presents changes in payroll jobs between the week ending 14 March 2020 (in the week Australia recorded its 100th confirmed COVID-19 case) and the week ending 18 April 2020 at the Statistical Area 4 (SA4) level shows that the Mornington Peninsula had a decrease of 7.9% - the third worst hit region in Victoria. Only Warrnambool and the South West (8.6%) and North West Region (8.2%) experienced greater decreases than the Mornington Peninsula. 

 

Get in touch: info@committeeformp.com.au 


Mornington Peninsula Shire has joined the Committee for Mornington Peninsula as a community member, strengthening our collective voice as we continue to work hard and advocate for our region.    …


Committee for Mornington Peninsula hosted a Shadow Ministerial Roundtable with Sam Groth MP to discuss with the Peninsula's leading tourism stakeholders about the competitive advantages and genuine challenges for our region.  …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula was pleased to take part in a discussion with Minister for Roads and Road Safety, the Hon. Melissa Horne, and representatives from the Department of Transport about Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula's road network. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula facilitated a briefing with the UK Consul-General this week to discuss trade, export and visa arrangements under the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom. …


Committee for Mornington Peninsula is making good its aim of identifying and contacting decision-makers to help achieve its “long-term outcomes” and “strategic objectives.

…


Our CEO sat down with Tracee Hutchison for 'Peninsula Talks' on RPPFM - Your Peninsula Radio to discuss the Victorian Government's announcement that the Port of Hastings would be home to the Renewable Energy Terminal of Victoria. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula met with Member for Hastings, Paul Mercurio, to discuss our shared objectives and priorities for Western Port. The Committee is seeking to work with local, state and federal government to attract major investment on the Westernport side of the Mornington Peninsula.  …


Join Committee for Mornington Peninsula members for a coffee and light breakfast to meet with business leaders and discuss industry issues in our region. …


Join Committee for Mornington Peninsula members for a coffee and light breakfast to meet with business leaders and discuss industry issues in our region. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula was pleased to be able meet with Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Federal Member for Flinders Zoe McKenzie to discuss the priorities for our region - including keeping jobs here on the peninsula, addressing disadvantage, and fighting for our fair share of government investment. …

If there’s one thing that unites us as a community, it’s our need for health, wellbeing and education.

If there’s one thing that unites us as a community, it’s our need for health, wellbeing and education.

In the case of the Mornington Peninsula, we deserve better healthcare and education systems.


As travel and capacity limits ease, Melburnians and regional Victorians making their annual pilgrimage to the Mornington Peninsula will find that the shops and restaurants are woefully unprepared for mandatory vaccine passport check-ins.

Op-ed by Committee for Mornington Peninsula Executive Officer, Briony Hutton, published in the Herald Sun South East Leader 29 September 2021. Full article here: tinyurl.com/3rfwra69 …


Politicians of all persuasions at all levels have started talking about our upcoming COVID-Christmas.

Op-ed by Zoe McKenzie, CfMP Board member. Published by Mornington Peninsula News, 7 September 2021. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula has written an open letter to the Victorian Premier and Chief Health Officer to request the Mornington Peninsula be urgently included in regional Victorian-level restrictions in the new roadmap to reopening. …


Disappointingly, there are no recommendations for significant improvements to public transport for the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria's Infrastructure Strategy 2021- 2051 released yesterday, despite this being one of the Peninsula's most significant infrastructure deficits.

If the Mornington Peninsula is unworthy of metropolitan public transport investment in the next 30 years, according to the Victorian Government’s key infrastructure advisers, then the legitimacy of our current metropolitan classification is once again thrown into serious question. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula is urging the Federal and Victorian Governments to provide additional financial support for communities under lockdown restrictions, including those on the Mornington Peninsula.

Yesterday’s announcement of a reinstated border between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria means that from today, the Mornington Peninsula will once again be subjected to ongoing lockdown restrictions despite having no active cases and our last listed exposure site being 15 days old. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula welcomes the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s move to investigate a possible reclassification of the Mornington Peninsula from the current metropolitan designation.

We welcome the Council’s attention to this issue to enable a collaborative solution to ultimately address the Peninsula’s economic disadvantage, which the Committee has focused on since 2019. …


The Committee for Mornington Peninsula is disappointed that the Mornington Peninsula received just 0.09 per cent of the funding announced for our neighbours in greater Geelong in this year’s State Budget.

$424,000 of new funding was announced for the Mornington Peninsula whilst $463.43 million of new funding was announced for Greater Geelong, which has the same enrolled population as the Mornington Peninsula.

After extended and repeated metropolitan Melbourne lockdowns, the CfMP would have expected more support for our local businesses and public assets and services to help the Mornington Peninsula to recover, however no new funding was announced for our local hospitals, schools, TAFE, parks, roads or public transport services in this Budget.

Disappointingly, new taxes will be imposed on major employers on the Mornington Peninsula and our residential and commercial properties will be taxed at a higher rate as businesses and property owners attempt to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

We remain hopeful that over the coming months, the Victorian Government will announce local funding initiatives for the Mornington Peninsula from the state-wide funding programs announced in this State Budget. …

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