Posted 9/5/06

MRRA Press Release: 

PLANNING BACKLASH Rally,

Parliament House, 3^rd May 2006

Planning Backlash:  “Victoria is becoming the Concrete State – the place NOT to be.”

Around 200 representatives of groups from Melbourne and country Victoria rallied on the steps of Parliament House on Wednesday to launch PLANNING BACKLASH, a Victoria-wide movement that wants changes to planning.

Premier Steve Bracks and Planning Minister Rob Hulls did not take up an invitation to meet groups and receive a list of changes sought. Ted Baillieu, Shadow Minister for Planning and Greg Barber, State Upper House Greens candidate, addressed the crowd.  Independent candidate for Ballarat East (Kyneton area), Dianne Hadden, also attended.  

Dr. Tony Rescei, President of Sydney ‘Save Our Suburbs’ and author of the article ‘Dictatorship of the High Density Bullies’, spoke about ‘ram, jam, scram’ planning, and difficulties with the centralized planning review system in Sydney (believed to be being considered for adoption in Victoria). 

Planning changes sought, as supported by MRRA, are:

• Amend the Planning and Environment Act to give legal weight and priority to local policies and local requirements in planning schemes, and allow local policies to be prescriptive (e.g. must, must not) instead of discretionary (e.g. should, prefer).
• Immediate review of Melbourne 2030 and ResCode with democratic, transparent community representation and consultation.  The Melbourne 2030 review, while maintaining Green Wedges, must revise growth projections and consider alternative growth and development strategies.* 
• Abolish the Priority Development Panel.
• The ResCode review must be directed to producing a Code with less discretion and more prescription, and an ability to vary standards to suit local conditions (e.g. rural towns).
• Changes to the Planning and Environment Act must result in VCAT ceasing to function as a de facto planning authority (i.e. policy-maker/breaker).
• Take immediate action on the “Engineers of Australia” report (June 2005) regarding infrastructure deficiencies in Victoria.
• Public land, open space and community assets must no longer be usurped by governments and developers.Immediately prepare a strategy specific to rural and regional areas, with representative community involvement and consultation.
• Make all governments, elected representatives and bureaucrats more accountable (through the establishment of a Victorian Independent Commission Against Corruption [ICAC] as exists in NSW).
• Protection must be given to environmentally sensitive areas, rural/coastal land and landscapes, vegetation and drinking water catchments.

Group representatives came from across Melbourne and some country areas such as Daylesford, Kyneton, and even Port Campbell; Landscape Guardians were represented along with Macedon Ranges Residents’ Association [MRRA] which took its campaign for State level planning protection to parliament (see photos below).

* MRRA’s issues with Melbourne 2030 are that Macedon Ranges’ State significance is not specifically recognized; there is no clear definition of which parts (of Clause 12) apply, and where, outside the metropolitan area; ‘suburban’ elements of 2030 (consolidation, high density etc.) are being applied (e.g. VCAT says Riddells Creek is an Activity Centre); regional ‘corridor’ elements (e.g. restrictions on rural living development, protection of open water catchments) are NOT being applied and aren’t supported by rural zone provisions; the Bendigo Network Corridor is being called a ‘growth corridor’; there has been no specific 2030 consultation with the Macedon Ranges’ community.