Locals turn out to protest council arts and environment cuts

On a chilly Saturday, 2 August the Flinders Civic Hall was at capacity as people from across the Peninsula poured in to voice their support for local arts and climate action initiatives now under threat from recent Mornington Shire council cuts to funding and scraping of the Climate Emergency Declaration and the Climate Action Plan.

In attendance were Mayor Anthony March (Briars), the Shire CEO, Mark Stoermer, and councillors Kate Roper (Beek Beek) and Michael Stephens (Warringe).

Local musician Marty Williams got the the audience joining in with a rousing rendition of his song Grandfather Sun that is soon to be released with help from Performing Arts Development Fund grant- one of those now axed by the council.

He was just one of the artists who spoke very earnestly, respectfully and gratefully for the opportunities afforded to them by MPC grants.

Flinders Fringe Festival co- founder and executive producer, Claire Thorn noted that MPS funding contributions in the past had made possible the festival that attracts visitors from all over Australia to the area.

“These creative grants have built a creative community and a creative economy that is thriving , and it’s impossible to imagine how Fringe might have to be be without the significant investment from our local council,” she said.

“We are urging councillors to reconsider these cuts as they have committed to do in the mid-financial year review, and reinstate eligibility for sole trader creatives to apply.”

We enjoyed a short film from the first Fringe festival with the beautiful puppetry of Weedy Seadragons, and heard from VCE students Maya and Nook, who extolled a local theatre group called Dreamhouse where young people can find belonging and connection.

We watched Bellow Below, an artistic project exploring the sounds of Western Port Bay using sensitive hydrophones and geophone. It is part of a project called Across the Waters that was created by Diana Chester and Jo Lane as part of the Flinders Fringe Festival.

There were also climate change experts.

The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy program director, Polly Hemming addressed the meeting via a video call about the International Court of Justice’s recent landmark advisory opinion stating that countries have a legal obligation to protect the climate and could be held liable for failing to do so.

Mornpen Landcare Network chair, Dr Greg Holland spoke of the impact of climate change on the Peninsula including the flooding of homes and emergence of salt plains.

Save Westernport’s Jane Carnegie highlighted the leadership role that the MPC had taken in 2019 when it adopted a climate emergency plan, and outlined the threat that funding cuts posed to organisations working towards net zero and trying to mitigate against the climate damage: Mornington Peninsula Landcare, Save Westernport, Repower, the Flinders battery + bulk buy solar program, Willum Warrain and Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation.

“Our communities want our council to take action on climate,” she said. “We are already seeing the impact of coastal erosion and extreme weather, and we are increasingly at risk.”

Event MC Tracee Hutchison said the meeting brought together the arts and environment groups with a shared purpose. “There is a huge intersect between our local creatives amplifying local environmental issues through their work, “ she said. “It makes sense the arts and environmental groups would come together in our advocacy for the place we love.”

There was no doubt that she expressed the sentiment of the audience.

When Jane Carnegie raised a motion calling on council to “reinstate the Climate Emergency Declaration and the Climate Action Plan,” the hall erupted in a unanimous show of hands and cheer of support.

The day brought home to us all that the arts are community, culture and connection; that we are lucky to have so many local creative practitioners on the Peninsula, who have been drawn to our part of the world because of its beauty , space and untouched environment; and that we need to work together to maintain this.

For background on the council click here.