Tuesday, 8 February 2022

Arthurs Seat quarry

Mr BRAYNE (Nepean) (16:00): A short time before Christmas I was so pleased to inform my community that the RE Ross Trust’s proposed quarry had been defeated. This followed a long, hard-fought campaign against the proposed quarry for Arthurs Seat, spanning multiple years and huge efforts by not just committed environmentalists but also many concerned residents and long-time locals on the Mornington Peninsula. On 27 April I did a poll on my Facebook page which asked for the community’s views on the Hillview quarry proposed at Arthurs Seat. The results were emphatic. Over 4000 people voted in it and 97 per cent voted no. The Save Arthurs Seat team of Mark and Michelle, alongside many other locals, dedicated innumerable hours and resources and a tireless energy to fight this proposal. The ‘Quarry Off!’ bumper stickers were the most frequent and visual example of this fight.

Thank you to the community, who made their views clear. It is understandable how this issue, this proposed quarry, would bring people from completely different backgrounds together, and that is exactly what happened. So many people who perhaps had never had any real political views came to me to talk about their frustration with the proposed quarry. Through this fight I really met the many sections of our community. As I said last year in this place, the time is now here when we must say no to development on the peninsula in an unsustainable way. We have to protect our Mornington Peninsula for the long term. Otherwise what will our future generations say? What type of peninsula will they be raised on? A peninsula I hope that is similar to the one I grew up on.