Wednesday, 15 September 2021

 Dr BACH (Eastern Metropolitan) (14:10): (1510) One of the most beautiful parts of my electorate is the suburb of Rosanna. So many families flock to Rosanna because of its rolling hills, friendly neighbourhoods and leafy environs. But it is possible that all of this is about to change, and many locals are concerned. Many residents in Rosanna have come to speak with me recently because the government is considering an amendment to the planning scheme to rezone land on Beetham Parade with a planning permit to construct a seven-storey building. This building would easily be the tallest building in Rosanna, it would overshadow numerous other residences, it would increase parking congestion on nearby streets and it would fundamentally change the character of a wonderful suburb. Now, the people of Rosanna are not averse to change, and they understand that more and more people will want to come to their suburb because it is such a beautiful place. But they want that change to be managed in a reasonable way—in a way that values their views. At present, they have not been consulted.

Here is where the process sits at the moment. The Victorian Transport Projects Integrated Development Opportunities Standing Advisory Committee is set to advise the government of its views in the coming days. I call upon the Minister for Planning to ensure that an opportunity has been made to meet with the residents who organised the petition that my friend Mr Atkinson tabled in this place just yesterday—to meet with them, to hear from them, to value their views and to seek their input—before any final decision is made. Again, these are reasonable people. All they want is for their views to be heard to ensure that as more people come into their local area, that is managed in a proper and appropriate way. They fear right now, because of the lack of consultation from the Andrews Labor government, that that is not the case.