Petition Halt the implementation of the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 removes essential community safeguards from Victoria’s planning system and concentrates decision-making power in the hands of the Minister for Planning and developers.

The Bill reduces public consultation, limits the community’s ability to object to or appeal and allows major projects to be approved without proper scrutiny or meaningful community input. These changes risk fast-tracking high-impact developments that place pressure on roads, services and infrastructure, undermine neighbourhood character, and weaken transparency and accountability in planning decisions.

Victorians deserve a planning system that is transparent, community-led, and focused on long-term liveability, not one that sidelines residents in favour of rushed approvals. The Government should restore the community’s right to be notified, heard, and to appeal developments, and ensure any planning reform strengthens, rather than weakens, oversight, accountability, and long-term outcomes for local communities. Victorians deserve a planning system that protects communities instead of sidelining them.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to halt the implementation of the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 and undertake a full and transparent review, with genuine and meaningful community consultation.