Thursday, 24 September 2026

 Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (19:08): (1868) I will not sing, I promise, but I will get the last word in this Parliament, which is kind of nice. My adjournment is for the Minister for Environment, and the action I seek is for her to walk along the beautiful Merri Creek with me to discuss the wallan wallan regional parklands. I thank fellow members of Parliament for their strong advocacy on this issue: the member for Northcote, the member for Preston, the member for Pascoe Vale, the member for Yan Yean, the member for Greenvale and the member for Kalkallo, who yesterday tabled a petition in this Parliament. That petition has over 3000 signatures.

I thank the many people who signed and the people who have written to us about this issue, including locals Damian Cuffe, Michael Frank, Patrick Ramsay, Rhydian Cowley, Basirah Basri, Zachary Aarons, Siobhan Neyland and others. Both the Merri Creek and Moonee Ponds Creek have been a beloved part of my story for over 50 years, and I have spoken about the importance of them to me, my family and my community many times in this house. I was so proud to announce the 2778-hectare marram baba regional parklands on the Merri Creek with our wonderful Minister D’Ambrosio, traditional owner Emma Mildenhall, local councils, Friends of Merri Creek and Merri Creek Management Committee. It is one of the largest conservation parks in Melbourne, spanning an area more than 70 times the area of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens, linking open space and ensuring we can enjoy this special place and its cultural significance for years to come.

We know the importance of wildlife corridors and the opportunities that particularly exist along our creek corridors to protect habitats. Wildlife do not recognise precinct boundaries. As the growth corridors develop, animals will still need to move between habitat, water and food. Where those movements are not planned for, they too often end up on our roads. Every animal strike is a loss for our wildlife, a danger for motorists and a cost for our community. Well-designed corridors planned for from the start, rather than retrofitted, are a practical way to reduce all three. The average cost of a kangaroo collision is $9000, according to a recent RACV report, and with 31,000 collisions in the last five years that is an approximate cost of $300 million.

We currently have an opportunity to secure the wallan wallan regional parkland through the planning scheme, and while the current planning scheme allows wildlife corridors to be included in a subdivision or development plan, they are not compulsory. Even when they are inserted as a condition of permit, there are few consequences if a developer ignores them, and these conditions could be strengthened. The wallan wallan regional parkland would not only provide an important habitat and wildlife corridor in the north but give us a magnificent public asset and give new and existing residents essential access to nature’s benefits for mental, physical and social health.

Recently, northern Labor MPs hosted members of the wallan wallan Regional Parkland Alliance, including Ben Davis; Professor Nick Williams, Friends of Merri Creek president; Claire Weekley, vice-president; and David Gifford. I thank them and the volunteers for their leadership and stewardship of our beautiful Merri Creek and their advocacy on this issue.