Thursday, 28 November 2024

Planning policy

Jess WILSON (Kew) (17:40): (969) My adjournment tonight is for the Premier, and the action I am seeking is for her government to actually meet and consult with the local communities whose voices she intends to remove from the planning process. The Premier has announced her intention to remove the ability of residents to have a say on developments in their community under her dramatic overhaul of planning laws. She has also announced her intention to fast-track approval of 20-storey towers in Camberwell Junction and six-storey dwellings within an 800-metre-radius catchment area surrounding it, including parts of Canterbury. It is not just Camberwell – there are 50 more of these so-called activity centres rolling out across Melbourne, including at Auburn, Glenferrie and Hawthorn train stations, which will affect areas in the electorate of Kew.

Nobody questions the need to improve the supply and affordability of housing for Victorians now and into the future. There are ways that we can expand housing options while also taking into account the character and the preferences of local communities, but the Premier is, in the arrogant style we have become accustomed to from Labor politicians, stating that it is her way or the highway. She is accusing anyone who dares to raise concerns about her approach to increasing housing supply of being against housing affordability. This is dishonest and self-serving. The reality is that communities need to be involved in the process when the government is proposing to make significant changes that will affect them. Labor’s approach to these planning changes is an utter abrogation of due process and consultative lawmaking. Labor’s approach to housing also presumes that all aspiring home owners in Victoria want to live in high-rise apartments – an arrogant, one-size-fits-all approach that does not provide Victorians with any choice in the type of home that provides for the needs of them and their families. Under the proposed rules the government is seeking to switch off the rights of local residents to have any input into the planning process.

Nobody is suggesting the current system is beyond improvement, but completely removing the feedback mechanisms through which residents can make their voices heard on planning issues is completely unacceptable. I have heard from many residents in Kew and in Boroondara about their concerns with the government’s approach and particularly how the new laws are likely to effectively overrule existing heritage overlays. Further, no analysis has been provided on the impact on local amenity like open space and tree canopy, or congestion of school and health services. It is clear our planning system does not sufficiently prioritise community consultation. Labor’s housing target for Boroondara – 67,000 new dwellings, or a 90 per cent increase on existing dwellings – does not take into consideration local feedback or concerns and involves no consultation with council as to the impact on our community, local amenities and infrastructure. I say again: this is unacceptable. That is why the action I am seeing tonight is for the Premier to front up and listen to the local communities whose voices she intends to remove from the planning process.