God purged from council ‘prayer’
THE 150-year-old tradition of reciting a prayer before local government meetings on the Mornington Peninsula has been scrapped after a motion by rookie councillor Anthony Marsh.
His notice of motion, tabled at Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 8 December meeting and passed with a 6-5 majority, replaces the “prayer” with a “pledge” by councillors to act in the best interests of the community.
Council officers advised that the existing prayer was in the governance rules of the council and that, under the Local Government Act, could not be dropped without community consultation. It could, however, be altered, and Cr Marsh’s notice of motion suggested just that.