Spitting chips over fish

By DANIELLE GALVIN

WHILE Cardinia Shire Councillors dithered about the possibility of banning fishing at Lakeside, angry residents were “disgusted” by the decision to allow angling to continue until more community consultation was undertaken.
Cr Collin Ross put forward a motion to ban fishing in the lake and to rescind the existing policy, but after a lengthy and tense debate, the decision was made to defer it.
His motion was seconded by Cr Jodie Owen and further supported by Cr Kate Lempriere, who were both vocal in their support for Cr Ross saying “hear, hear” when he got the chance to speak and shaking their heads when their fight was lost.
Cr George Blenkhorn interrupted Cr Ross, who was chairing the meeting in Mayor Brett Owen’s absence, to amend the motion to defer any decision about the future of fishing at Lakeside.
“Obviously this is a very emotive issue and we have those on both sides,” Cr Blenkhorn said.
Councillors also discussed the possibility of ratepayers footing the $75,000 bill for the pier, paid for through a Fisheries Victoria grant.
“If you ban it, council will have to reimburse Fisheries Victoria for that money,” he said.
Cr Lempriere said that she put herself in the shoes of the Lakeside residents who battled on a daily basis withh fishermen who abused the policy.
“As I see it, Central Ward councillors are there to protect the interests of those who put us there,” she said.
The last councillor to speak on the issue was Cr Ross, who said that there were five local laws officers in Cardinia and it was impossible for them to police the activities at the lake, particularly when most of the anti-social behaviour occurred outside of council hours.
He said it was ridiculous that a $75,000 grant had been spent on a pier, which could fit at most six people.
“When the survey was first done, council mailed out 100 letters, and we got an unusually high response back,” Cr Ross said.
“Thirty-three people responded – 29 of those didn’t support (fishing in the lake).”
Cr Ross said there were no amenities at the lake to support the activity, including extra walkways and toilets.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Lakeside resident Judy Mynott told the Gazette the decision was “disgusting” and that she had considered moving out of the area because of the anti-social behaviour at the lake.
If Lakeside fishing is restricted, Cardinia Lakes could be the newest place to dangle a line.
Following a fiery discussion about fishing in Lakeside, Cr Collin Ross put forward a motion to investigate the viability of fishing in Cardinia Lakes.
Cardinia Shire Council takes over the estate in late March from the developer, and Cr Ross said the water quality would be investigated.