Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Brunswick electorate

Tim READ (Brunswick) (15:02): (1076) My constituency question is for the Minister for Planning. Friends of Merri Creek and the Nature Glenelg Trust have proposed the Wallan Wallan regional park, including restoring Herne Swamp to a wetland, at the head of the Merri Creek near Wallan. Without the park, ongoing suburban development in the area will increase stormwater run-off, erosion and downstream flooding and turbidity in the Merri Creek in my electorate. Housing development does not need to come at the expense of green open space, native vegetation and wildlife habitat. Many of my constituents have worked for years to restore the Merri Creek’s habitats, and they want the state government to support this crucial rehabilitation work by protecting the land upstream. When will the government apply public acquisition overlays to enable the creation of the Wallan Wallan regional park?