Petition Strengthen local council planning powers

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council the need to strengthen Victoria's planning laws so that public health and community wellbeing are properly considered when decisions are made about new fast food developments.

Victorian communities and local governments should have greater power to shape their local food environments, particularly where new fast food outlets are proposed close to schools or where there is a high concentration of such outlets. Currently, councils have responsibilities to protect the health and wellbeing of their communities, but Victoria's planning framework does not give them adequate powers to consider public health when determining applications for new fast food developments. Community opposition to proposed developments in places including Northcote and Castlemaine has highlighted this gap.

The Planning Amendment (Restricting New Fast Food Developments) Bill 2026, introduced by David Ettershank MLC, would address this problem by strengthening council powers to determine whether new fast food developments should be permitted. Among other reforms, the Bill would make public health an important consideration in land use planning and require consideration of factors including proximity to schools, the existing concentration of fast food outlets and local public health data.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to pass legislation to give Victorian communities and local governments stronger powers to protect public health and shape healthy local food environments.