Wednesday, 5 June 2019

 Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:06): My question is to the Minister for Planning. Why has the minister cut a deal with the dodgy and rogue developers who unlawfully wrecked the Corkman hotel—a deal that will enable them to develop the site and make millions in profits by breaking the law despite misleading this house that the Corkman would be rebuilt?

 Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Planning) (11:06): I thank the member for Kew for his question because it does give me the opportunity to outline what in fact was the settlement that was reached in relation to the Corkman hotel development.

On 28 May VCAT issued an enforcement order agreed to by all parties—me, the City of Melbourne, the students of the university and the developers. The agreed enforcement requires the developers to, no later than 30 November of this year, clear the site of all demolition material and provide evidence to the council that the site is suitable for environmental conditions for short-term informal parkland until future redevelopment occurs.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for South-West Coast—

Mr T Smith interjected.

The SPEAKER: and the member for Kew are warned.

Mr WYNNE: I will have a bit more to say about that in a moment for you.

The SPEAKER: Order! Through the Chair!

Mr WYNNE: So that is the initial proposition, but it is important that I actually read in parts of the enforcement notice:

Unless on or before 30 June 2022 … a planning permit has been obtained for the redevelopment of the site … there has been substantial commencement of the development … the Respondent must—

tune in here, get this—

by 30 June 2023 rebuild—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kew is warned.

Mr WYNNE: Sorry, what was that again?

… rebuild (using new materials) the external parts of the hotel located within—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Kew has been warned. I understand he may have a supplementary question and may wish to remain in the chamber.

Mr WYNNE: It says rebuild within the heritage overlay the:

… external parts of the hotel located within the heritage overlay (being the roofs, chimneys and external facades of the building) as nearly as practicable to the condition they were immediately before their unlawful demolition.

We have not seen that reported. Can I say also I noticed a very interesting opinion piece by the shadow Minister for Planning. God forbid that you would ever become the Minister for Planning, my goodness, because your proposition that the site can be compulsorily acquired actually is completely wrong. It has to be acquired at its highest and best use—

Mr T Smith interjected.

Mr WYNNE: Not true? Well, he is a QC. Here he is; here is the QC here. You have got the best advice in town. Well, you are wrong.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister’s time has concluded.

Mr WYNNE: You are wrong. Highest and best value. That is the law.

Mr Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, the Minister for Planning has been very unparliamentary in his language and has shown disrespect to you as the Chair in how he has talked directly to the member for Kew across the table. I ask you to enforce the rules on the Minister for Planning that you expect others to uphold in this house as well please.

The SPEAKER: Order! I uphold the point of order and I do remind members to address their remarks through the Chair. At the same time I remind members to cease shouting interjections across the chamber so that it does not draw direct comment from people, particularly ministers answering questions. I have warned members already that they will be removed from the house without warning if they continue to shout across the chamber.

 Mr T SMITH (Kew) (11:10): In 2016 lobbyist turned member for Burwood said about his clients, the Corkman cowboys:

… they made a mistake, they are sorry, and they are going to make it right.

Heritage consultants will be engaged in the next few weeks to commence the process of rebuilding.

Why have these developers received a sweetheart deal from this minister—developers who are represented by the now member for Burwood, who is a close personal friend, factional ally and fundraising chair to the Minister for Planning?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Warrandyte and the member for Mordialloc can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour. I have warned members to cease shouting across the chamber.

Members for Warrandyte and Mordialloc withdrew from chamber.

 Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Planning) (11:12): So the member for Kew, in his op-ed piece that was submitted to the Age yesterday, actually made these allegations, which of course were not published by the Age for all the appropriate reasons—because frankly they are defamatory. They are clearly defamatory. And for the record, my good friend the member for Burwood was not, in any way, my campaign chairperson at all, or my fundraising chairperson at all.

Mr Andrews: He was running his own campaign.

Mr WYNNE: He was running his own campaign, exactly right. So can I just say that in relation to the valuation of this land we are bound by the valuation legislation which requires that the land, if it is going to be compulsorily acquired, is at highest and best use. That is simply what the law says. So this nonsense that the member for Kew is peddling around is simply that, and I completely reject it.