Wednesday, 27 November 2024

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:05): (1328) The action I seek is from the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop. The recent garden party held by the Suburban Rail Loop Authority in the Box Hill Gardens was a tone-deaf display of total disregard for the local community. It was held in the same open space they are tearing up, removing decade-old trees and taking them away from the public for at least the next 10 years. Hosting a self-promotional event there, as though they owned it, was simply rubbing the community’s face in their heartless removal of the open space and added insult to injury for the people of Box Hill. The event was poorly attended, which reflects the growing frustration among locals. In contrast, the community barbecue I helped host in the same gardens saw strong support for the ‘Pause the SRL’ message.

Residents are deeply concerned and frustrated by the SRL authority’s lack of meaningful engagement. One attendee loudly made clear that the SRL was simply attempting to buy off the local community through this event. Another recurring concern from residents was the wasteful spending on events like this. Instead of addressing legitimate questions about the skyrocketing costs of the SRL and the environmental impacts, the government are throwing money at promotional stunts that achieve nothing more than alienating the community and camouflaging the failure and the brutality of their autocratic planning changes.

Box Hill residents have made it clear they want transparency and genuine consultation. They care about their local park, their trees and their open spaces. What they do not want to see is their hard- earned taxpayer dollars squandered on events that fail to address the real issues. Locals in Box Hill, as well as all Victorians, deserve transparency on how their money is being spent and assurances that their concerns are being taken seriously, not sidelined by expensive and ineffective PR exercises. The action I seek is for the minister to disclose the full cost of this SRL garden party held in Box Hill to the Victorian people.