Green wedge planning
Mr HAYES (Southern Metropolitan) (12:21): My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Planning. On 4 November 2018, prior to the 2018 election, the government promised that it would permanently tighten controls to better protect Melbourne’s green wedges against overdevelopment, with the protections enshrined in legislation. This was accompanied by a press release from the Minister for Planning titled ‘Protecting Melbourne’s green wedges from skyscraper Guy’, in which the minister promised that:
Only Labor will stop Melbourne’s green wedges from inappropriate development and protect our prime agricultural land in the outer suburbs.
Minister, I ask: why is the Heatherton chain of parks, a site that sits within the green wedge A zone under the Kingston planning scheme and a location where a proposed stabling yard will involve the loss of almost 40 hectares of green wedge land, even being considered as a location for stabling trains?
Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood) (12:22): I thank Mr Hayes for his question, and I will seek a written response from the Minister for Planning in accordance with the standing orders.
Mr HAYES (Southern Metropolitan) (12:23): Thank you, Minister. My supplementary is: the failure to protect the green wedges has arisen from intense population pressure for housing, which has seen overdevelopment in areas adjacent to our protected green wedges and expansion beyond the urban growth boundary. This has meant that essential infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, which have been inadequately provided in these areas since priority has been given to housing, are now in shortfall for these communities. This lack of foresight by the government has now led to the government proposing a rezoning of the green wedges to include industrial uses, residential development, schools and places of worship in the green wedge. My question is: how does rezoning the green wedges in this way assist to ‘permanently tighten controls to better protect Melbourne’s green wedges’, as promised by your government?
Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood) (12:24): I thank Mr Hayes for his supplementary, and I will seek a written response for him from the Minister for Planning.