Wednesday, 23 September 2026

 Kat THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) presented a petition bearing 398 signatures:

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Assembly 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. 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 in areas that already have a high concentration of fast food outlets.

The Planning Amendment (Restricting New Fast Food Developments) Bill 2026, introduced into the Victorian Parliament by David Ettershank MLC, proposes important reforms to the Planning and Environment Act 1987. These include making public health an overarching consideration in land use planning; expressly enabling planning schemes to regulate or prohibit the development of fast food outlets; and requiring responsible authorities considering new fast food developments to take account of public health impacts, proximity to schools, the number of existing fast food outlets in the surrounding area and relevant local public health data.

These reforms deserve proper consideration and debate by the Victorian Parliament. Victorians should have the opportunity to see where their elected representatives stand on whether the planning system should better protect public health, children and communities.

Action

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Assembly debate and support the reforms contained in the Planning Amendment (Restricting New Fast Food Developments) Bill 2026 at the earliest opportunity and, if the Bill is transmitted from the Legislative Council, debate and vote on the Bill before the end of the 60th Parliament.

The petitioners further request that, if the Bill is not passed during the current Parliament, the Victorian Government commit to introducing equivalent reforms to the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the Victorian Planning Provisions in the next Parliament.