Comment Policy

There have been an incredible amount of comments left on this blog today, many of which have been removed. Their deletion was directly related to the fact that they contained offensive language, offensive material or falsely claimed identities of positions (i.e. being aligned with, or part of, various businesses or even the Rye's Up committee when it is not the case). Some comments also contained incorrect information that could be hurtful to others, or have aligned other groups with Rye's Up! who have not formally done so - that right is only available to the official members of such groups.

Comments from people who do not agree with our campaign, for whatever reason, are NOT being removed, as long as they abide by our policy (see below) to ensure that no offensive material is posted. You may notice that there are several comments already listed that are from people who want fast food restaurants in our town, these were the ones that were deemed unoffensive.

We invite a healthy debate about this huge issue, however at no time have we intended on being offensive or rude towards any member of the public - we have also been very professional and courteous towards the fast food giants we are opposing. It would be greatly appreciated if others could give us the same courtesy.

All information that we are posting on this blog has been factually checked, or is clearly stated as opinion. This is NOT the case for all comments, and many of those that are still on the blog are factually incorrect.

Please remember that Rye's Up! is a campaign that enables a group of people to voice their opinion on this important issue. We are working to improve our wonderful town and to inform those that are a part of it. At no time are we attempting to force our opinions on anyone but, instead, assisting those people who want to object to these developments to do so.

The figure of 300 people being used by our opponents is incorrect and does not represent the true nature of those who are against fast food giants in Rye. At present we do not have a clear indication of numbers as there are still people who are unaware of the issue, however it can be guaranteed that the figure well exceeds 300.

The Rye's Up! committee is a very hard working and diverse group that includes professionals (teachers, legal advisors, consultants) as well as local traders, mothers and retired people. All are permanent residents of Rye, some long term, others new to our community.

From this date forward all comments will be treated as follows:

• No anonomous comments will be accepted - you must have a blogger account;
• All comments will be filtered before posting (to remove any offensive material);
• Any comment containing offensive language will NOT be posted;
• Any comment that claims alliance with a group will NOT be posted until verified;
• Any comment that may be deemed hurtful or disrespectful to any member of the community will NOT be posted;
• Genuine questions regarding this campaign will be answered to the best of our ability;
• Comments both for and against will be treated equally.

Please remember that we are just a group of concerned residents who are standing up for what we believe in and trying to voice our opinions respectfully. In all of our actions we are ensuring that all legal requirements are met, such as informing the police and shire where necessary, holding the insurance policies necessary and keeping various federal, state and local representatives advised of our actions.

FAQ: What are we doing?

Upon hearing rumours of fast food giants McDonald's and Hungry Jack's being interested in Rye a town meeting was called on 23rd April 2009 to alert as many locals as possible. Of the 300-odd people that turned up, 10 - 12 people expressed an interest to form a committee to tackle the issue head on.

The campaign was christened Rye's Up! and is focused on both keeping fast food giants out of Rye and actively promoting Rye's untapped potential.

Rye's Up! began with a strong campaign of letter-writing and petitions. Various letter templates were provided at the first Town Meeting and Rye Market and are now at various stores in Rye and on the blog for concerned citizens to sign in the knowledge that they'll be sent to the Mornington Peninsula Shire. As of late May 2009 more than 600 letters have been gathered.

Rye's Up! held its first event on 23rd May to demonstrate the amount of rubbish that one fast food giant would create each day! More events are in the pipeline, including live music on the foreshore, town meetings and community events that will encompass all age groups. We want everyone to get passionate about how wonderful Rye is and see its potential for greater things!

FAQ: Who Are We?

Rye's Up! is the campaign run by a committee of 10 - 12 passionate locals that want to preserve Rye as a healthy seaside community and develop its potential. We meet weekly to discuss the campaign's direction and ways of developing community and culture in Rye.