Tuesday, 18 March 2025

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (00:15): (1512) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment, and the action that I seek is for the minister to explain the nine-month delay in the tender process for leasing the Mount Macedon tearooms, which will see the venue remain closed during Mount Macedon’s busiest tourist period. Mount Macedon sits within the Macedon Regional Park, which is administered by Parks Victoria, and the mountain peak offers glorious views of the surrounding countryside. At the top of the mountain visitors can access the war memorial cross as well as the Harbison picnic ground, which are popular tourist attractions, and the site receives around 300,000 visitors throughout the year. For the last 14 years visitors to the summit could also find refreshments at the Top of the Range Tea Rooms, which provided a range of teas, other drinks and delicious food, but the beloved tearooms are now closed because Parks Victoria did not renew the tenant’s lease. The tenancy was put out to a competitive tender, and expressions of interest closed on 20 June last year. Nine months later the longstanding lessee has been forced to close up shop. A new lessee is yet to be announced, and Parks Victoria has indicated that the rooms will remain closed for many more months for the new lessee to renovate the building. This has left tourism operators shocked and confused.

The Macedon Ranges is heading into one of its busiest tourist periods of the year. The Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival runs for the whole month of April, and tens of thousands of people will flock to the area. Many of those visitors will make a trip to the top of Mount Macedon because the summit is the best place to capture the stunning views of the autumn leaves turning glorious shades of orange. But visitors at the peak will not have anywhere to sit down and enjoy a meal or relax with a cup of tea, because the tearooms will be closed until the end of the year. 25 April is of course Anzac Day, and hundreds will turn up to honour our fallen heroes at the war memorial cross, but they will not be able to wrap their hands around a cup of warm tea afterwards, because the tearooms will be closed.

I have spoken with the former venue operator, and I understand that Parks Victoria was not willing to extend their lease so that they could continue operating during the busy autumn tourist period. Tens of thousands of visitors who arrive at the peak will now be disappointed to find out that they have been left high and dry, hungry and thirsty.

Once again the Allan Labor government has failed because of a lack of consultation and foresight. They have forced the closure of a large and popular hospitality venue right before the busiest period of the year, when the Macedon Ranges holds its Autumn Festival. The Victorian government could have avoided this situation by extending the lease of the existing tenant until the autumn tourist season had completed.