Tuesday, 5 May 2026

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn) (14:21): The Allan Labor government’s activity centres policy will radically change areas around Hawthorn station, Glenferrie Road, Auburn Village, Camberwell Junction and Willison and Riversdale train stations, which are being opened up to huge towers. As well, small side streets will face six- or four-storey apartment dwellings or maybe more. Just a month ago the government gazetted GC270, which was supposed to install height limits, and in Glenferrie Road the height limits gazetted were for 12 storeys. There is already a proposal for a 16-storey development in Glenferrie Road under the Allan government’s secretive development facilitation program. This is in excess of the 12-storey limit the government said would apply to Glenferrie Road only a month ago.

The government’s housing policy is proving to be a secretive scheme that abolishes the rights of residents to have a say, undermines transparency and uses the activity centres program as an artifice to force skyscraper-type buildings under a fast-track regime that poses as a process while being nothing more than a means to conceal from public view deals the government makes with project proponents that no-one can interrogate and no-one can scrutinise. The government’s housing policy will not work. It will not provide homes that are affordable for young Victorians. The Liberals and Nationals will.