Tuesday, 21 February 2023

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (17:46): (44) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment, and it relates to the Lake Wendouree lighting project. The action that I seek from the minister is to immediately halt the project in order to meet with concerned residents so a more appropriate lighting solution can be found.

Members of the Ballarat community are rightly concerned with the lake lighting project at Lake Wendouree. If the project is to meet the Australian standard for lighting, the standard stipulates that lighting around the lake has to occur 27 to 30 metres between each lighting pole. However, this directly conflicts with the tree protection policy which states that no structure can be built within 12 lengths of the width of a tree, oddly enough. Holes must be hand drilled – not using a machine – to minimise the disturbance to trees as well.

I hope that the minister will take quick and fast action to ensure that the project is halted and meaningful consultation can happen with locals so we can get the right outcome not just an outcome. Let us get the right outcome, because we have only got one shot at it. If we do not, we are stuck with it for a long time, with potentially many, many less trees as well.