Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (21:05): (289) My adjournment tonight is also for the Minister for Planning, and I seek the action of the minister to investigate whether Maribyrnong City Council is appropriately exercising its planning powers. I am pleased, as my colleague Mr Limbrick said, to report that after a public backlash, and comments from me about this in the chamber as well, they have backed down on their plan to heritage list over 900 homes.

The example I would like to point out tonight is another application by Maribyrnong against the Moon Dog brewery, a great success story in my electorate, founded in 2010 in a little street in the backstreets of Abbotsford – a little brewery which I used to live around the corner from, and I was a frequent visitor – by Josh and Jake Uljans and school mate Karl van Buuren. It has taken Australia by storm, becoming a brand that can be found in pubs, bars, bottle shops and all over the country. The success of their Moon Dog World in Preston is plain for anyone to see. Indeed many of my constituents in the Northern Metropolitan Region appreciate it. I am a frequent visitor there. You can take the family along. My three-year-old son Ted loves the playground, while I sit back next to the playground and enjoy my favourite pint, splice of heaven pine lime IPA.

They are looking to expand, and the opportunity came with 54–58 Hopkins Street, Footscray, where Moon Dog applied to transform the venue with live music, a rooftop bar and a capacity of 900 patrons. It sounds pretty good to me. This is actually the former home of the iconic Franco Cozzo, and for many Melburnians that is a household name.

A member interjected.

Evan MULHOLLAND: Brunswick and Footscray, grand sale, grand sale. It was the ultimate migrant success story, which wrapped up in mid-2018. So with five years of sitting empty, Moon Dog took an interest and applied to Maribyrnong City Council, but after a six-month community consultation process – the council was flooded with submissions in favour, including from the mayor ‍– was rejected due to safety concerns due to the narrowness of the footpath, which is actually a responsibility of the council itself. Moon Dog have even said they are happy to address any of these issues raised as part of the proposed development, and they plan to keep the original Franco Cozzo facade of the building while maximising green space and efficiency. It is a project that has ample public support, would add to the amenity of the local community and ticks all the boxes relating to sustainability, and it was shot down by council, including a Greens councillor on Maribyrnong council. Therefore I call on the minister to outline how she will ensure that all councils are appropriately exercising their powers and making sensible decisions when it comes to planning matters so we can all just enjoy a pint together at the new Moon Dog brewery.