Tuesday, 29 October 2024

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (13:03): (1191) My question is for the Minister for Planning. Minister, earlier this month Labor announced a draft set of planning controls for the mining and transportation of sand affecting the towns of Lang Lang and Trafalgar, both within the Eastern Victoria Region. Despite statements by the member for Bass referring to a meeting with the Lang Lang District Business & Community Group, which both you and Ms Crugnale attended, the truth of the matter is that at the meeting you did not reveal your intention to remove the rights of local communities to receive notice of new or expanded quarries, to remove their rights to object and to remove their rights to appeal planning approvals granted if the quarries have a 250-metre buffer zone from sensitive areas. Minister, the community of Lang Lang do not want to consider these proposed planning rules in isolation without considering the needs of the town and the wider community, such as the long-promised Lang Lang bypass and other infrastructure needs. Minister, will you work with the community and Cardinia council to develop a whole-town strategy?