Northern Victoria Region
Ms MAXWELL (Northern Victoria) (12:43): My constituency question is to the Minister for Local Government and is about what seems to be an unusual set of planning act and planning scheme requirements applying to some northern Victorian councils. In short, planning schemes in my electorate often state that exemptions for buildings and works carried out by landowners, including councils, do not extend to the removal of vegetation. It appears that councils must therefore apply for a planning permit in each case of proposed removal of vegetation where their local planning schemes stipulate that one is required. I ask the minister whether the government will take action to exempt councils from what appears to be a very strange requirement to ask, in effect, for a permit from themselves each time they seek to remove, destroy or lop vegetation?