Peninsula issues front of mind for Victorian Leaders
The Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula – led by CEO Josh Sinclair and Board Members Matt McDonald, Chris Procter, Jackie Prossor and Trudy Poole – met with senior Ministers at Parliament House and briefed them on the Committee’s new Strategic Plan and major advocacy priorities.
The Committee’s Strategic Plan was launched in July this year and is the result of extensive consultation with our membership, community and business leaders, and local representatives.
It calls for government support on:
- Housing, homelessness and accommodation
- Better public transport and connectivity
- Sustainable development, led by the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal
- Improving health and education opportunities
- A thriving local economy that reflects the unique characteristics of our region
Meetings with Victorian Government Ministers
Victorian Treasurer, the Hon. Tim Pallas, acknowledged the tough fiscal environment the Government was operating within and thanked the Committee for their advocacy and support on the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at the Port of Hastings. We also shared our desire to see surplus Port-zoned land to be made useful for industry which will help retain jobs and skills on the Mornington Peninsula.
The Committee raised concerns around inequity on infrastructure commitments and equitable taxing arrangements. The City of Greater Geelong receives $22,823 per person on infrastructure commitments as opposed to $2,317 per person in our region. Despite paying $150 million more in payroll tax than our regional neighbours, we can’t point to many substantial investments that improve the liveability of our region.
We also raised the inconsistencies around eligibility for grant funding, meaning we only have ‘metropolitan’ tools to fight ‘regional’ problems.
The Committee was delighted to have more than half an hour with the Treasurer and we thanked him for listening to our feedback and plans for our region.
Pictured: Matt McDonald, Jackie Prossor, Josh Sinclair, Treasurer Tim Pallas, Paul Mercurio MP, Chris Procter, Trudy Poole, Tom
McIntosh MP
Minister for Environment and Tourism, Sport and Major Events, the Hon. Steve Dimopoulos was next to be briefed by the Committee’s delegation.
High on our agenda with the Minister was cultivating the Port of Hastings as a key hub for renewables and respecting and maintaining the biodiversity of Western Port. We also referred to key environmental components of our Strategic Plan, including a Recycled Water Scheme and support for horticulture and nurseries on the Peninsula.
We also raised items flagged with us by our members from the hospitality and tourism industry. We acknowledged the hard work the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism board do for regional tourism and the significant impact this has on our local economy.
We also signalled our desire to see a convention and exhibition centre, along with visitor accommodation, for the centre of Frankston – thanks largely to Frankston City Council’s leadership on the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre Plan (FMAC).
We raised our concerns around the 7.5% short-stay levy which will impose a tax on overnight visitors to our region. Largely, we are concerned that funds raised by this levy will be spent across regional Victoria and key activity centres; not Frankston or the Mornington Peninsula. The Committee will advocate directly to Homes Victoria to ensure the funds raised from this levy are distributed to our region, otherwise we’ll miss out on funding from a tax that we’ll do a lot of heavy lifting on.
The relationship between tourism and our local economy go hand in hand together, and we thank the Minister for his support and interest in our region.
Pictured: Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula's delegation meeting with Minister Steve Dimopoulos
The Committee then met with the office of the Hon. Gabrielle Williams, Minister for Public and Active Transport.
We made clear our position on several key items, including the uplift of the Stony Point line to improve rail connections between Hastings and Frankston, more frequent and reliable bus services across the Peninsula, more frequent and effective express rail services between Frankston and Richmond, and improved ferry connections for passengers between the Peninsula and Phillip Island/French Island.
We continue to call for better rail beyond Frankston and the connection of the train line to the Frankston Health and Education precinct at Frankston Hospital and Monash University. However, working in realistic economic environmental conditions, we are seeking support from the government on more cost-effective projects they may like to consider, particularly the uplift of the Stony Point line which would deliver half an hour services in both directions between Hastings and Frankston.
Additionally, we indicated our clear support for the Peninsula Trail project. We acknowledged the work currently underway for the Baxter-Somerville trail, and called for the government to consider funding for the Moorooduc to Mornington Safelink project which has been strongly advocated for by our community for many years.
The Minister for Planning, the Hon. Sonya Kilkenny, also met with the Committee and our local Government MP’s to discuss key issues in her portfolio.
The Committee congratulated the Victorian Government on their engagement and consultation process – and collaborative work with Frankston City Council – to see through the FMAC framework for Frankston City which provides certainty for developers and residents. We also praised the Government’s intent for the 67,000 new homes flagged for our region by 2050 and the consultative process undertaken by Government in their new Plan for Victoria.
The Minister is aware of the short supply of industrial land across Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, and we communicated our steadfast support for the re-zoning of surplus Port-zoned land in and around Hastings to be re-zoned for industrial and commercial purposes. We also indicated we would like local government and the State to consider appropriate parcels of this land to be considered re-zoning for residential purposes.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Housing C219 strategy acknowledges that in 15 years time, the capacity to deliver the Government’s ambitious housing targets will prove difficult unless some of the unusable land around Hastings is not unlocked for housing.
Additionally, the State Government must do all it can to support the retention of jobs in Frankston. This means creating jobs for workers close to where they live in key activity centres, and ensuring new commercial developments at scale are appropriately located close to major roads and public transport. This ties in with the Committee’s recent submission to Plan for Victoria.
We also referred the Minister to our ongoing support for the Green Wedge on the Peninsula and appropriate uses for business on green wedge land, noting a lack of clarity around land use creates business uncertainty and drives away investment.
We were extremely appreciative of the Minister’s time and opportunity to tackle some of these issues with her and her office at Victorian Parliament.
Pictured: Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula's delegation meeting with Minister Sonya Kilkenny.
Meetings with Victorian Government Shadow Ministers
The Committee remains committed to being the regions’ peak advocacy body that engages with both sides of politics. We have built up meaningful relationships with our local Members of Parliament, and were delighted to be able to host meetings at Victorian Parliament with key-decision makers from the Government and the Opposition.
We were pleased to meet with the Deputy Liberal Leader and Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure, David Southwick and Shadow Treasurer Brad Rowswell.
We briefed the Shadow Ministers on the Committee’s Strategic Plan and key advocacy priorities – including better rail beyond Frankston, express Frankston line services, and the redevelopment of Rosebud Hospital.
The Committee acknowledged that 82% of the Shire has no public transport and just 3% of residents use it. We expressed our long-term objective to extend the train line to Langwarrin, providing park-and-ride facilities for commuters, which would eventually provide the opportunity for an upgrade all the way to Hastings for the long term. We acknowledged that upgrades to get electrification and duplication to Baxter was a previous commitment from the Opposition at the 2022 Victorian Election and at the 2024 Dunkley by-election.
In the short term, we believe the best option is to connect the Health and Education precinct and fund significant works to improve the
Stony Point line to get services functioning for residents. This will get more employees to work, more students to Monash University and
Chisholm TAFE, and patients to health care providers in town centres.
Pictured: Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula's delegation meeting with Opposition Leader John Pesutto.
Lastly, the Committee hosted the Leader of the Opposition, John Pesutto, and the Shadow Minister for Planning, Environment and Climate Change, James Newbury.
We thanked the Opposition for its previous $340 million commitment to redevelop Rosebud Hospital and would welcome a future commitment to redevelop that site and improve health outcomes for residents. A redevelopment would expand the operating theatres, build a new emergency department, and contemporary fit-for-purpose medical facilities. Southern Peninsula and Western Port residents can in some cases take up to an hour to get to Frankston Hospital, which is not acceptable within a metropolitan Melbourne setting.
We sought clarity on the Opposition’s position on the Renewable Energy Terminal proposed for Hastings. We don’t believe that a change of government would jeopardise this project and we’ll look to work collaboratively with either party regardless of outcome of the 2026 Victorian Election.
We were also asked about classification and designation issues for the Mornington Peninsula. The Committee’s Disadvantage report highlighted policy areas where our region is not getting its fair share of funding from State Government due to our designation. While we are working in the realms of what is possible and not seeking an immediate classification change, we believe both sides of politics now understand what our unique challenges are and how we believe they must be addressed.
The Opposition Leader promised to further engage with us in the lead up to the next Victorian Election in 2026 and we welcome his feedback and reception to our Strategic Plan. We thank him and his Shadow Minister colleagues for being so generous with their time at Victorian Parliament this week.
Pictured: Matt McDonald, Jackie Prossor, Josh Sinclair, Sam Groth MP, Opposition Leader John Pesutto, Trudy Poole, Anne
Marie-Hermans, Chris Crewther, Renee Heath, Chris Procter.
Our meetings with Ministers and Shadow Ministers were facilitated by our local Members of Parliament who joined us throughout the day – particularly Paul Mercurio, Tom McIntosh, Chris Crewther, Sam Groth, Renee Heath, and Anne-Marie Hermans.
The Committee would like to thank them for their support and contributing to these discussions – specifically Chris Crewther, Paul
Mercurio and their staff.
Pictured: CFMP board members Matt McDonald, Jackie Prossor, CEO Josh Sinclair, Trudy Poole, Chris Procter
Both Ministers and Shadow Ministers thanked the Committee for their passionate, collaborative and bi-partisan advocacy.
We look forward to continuing to work with our members, stakeholders and representatives to help deliver better outcomes and influence a better peninsula.