Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:50): I move:

That the petition be taken into consideration.

This petition carries the weight of 2042 signatures, and while over a thousand signatures were ruled out on a technicality, the accepted number still exceeds the high bar set for paper petitions. These signatures speak for many of the nearly 7300 residents of Aspendale, 6500 of Aspendale Gardens, 6300 of Edithvale and other surrounding suburbs. I welcome some of my constituents and the Deputy Mayor Cr Sarah O’Donnell from Yammerbook, which is the area that this represents.

Let me be clear from the outset: this debate is not about denying the housing crisis – there is one. It is not about opposing new homes – we support them. But we will never support planning laws being abused, communities being sidelined and homes being built where they should never be positioned. Sadly, this is precisely what could happen at the site of the Rossdale golf course if approved by the planning minister.

For months I have stood in solidarity with the people of Aspendale, Aspendale Gardens, Edithvale, Mordialloc and Chelsea as they have fought to save Rossdale golf course. Raising this in Parliament, I have met with organisers and I have attended a community forum with hundreds of residents. The anger in that room was palpable. Locals challenged the claims of consultation and called out their street names, saying they had never been consulted. Their voices must be heard.

Kingston City Council is the relevant planning authority, and even Minister Kilkenny has confirmed this in writing. The council has complied fully with the government and its directions, yet the minister bypassed council and referred the proposal to the Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee without notice. A directions hearing was held on 11 August, but council was given just two weeks to respond, and this is a clear denial of procedural fairness. The proposed development may cram 700 to 1000 dwellings into a floodplain, including wetlands with protected species. That represents a 25 to 30 per cent increase in Aspendale’s housing stock on just 8 per cent of its land. It is completely unnecessary. Kingston’s mayor has repeatedly said that they do not need this development to meet housing targets. Even the advisory committee confirmed environmental assessments remain incomplete and biodiversity protections are missing.

This site is geographically significant – 43 hectares, or about 12 per cent of Aspendale. As Melbourne grows, open space becomes paramount if we are to remain a livable city. Golf courses across Victoria, including Rossdale, have seen memberships surge since COVID, with Victorians seeking open space for mental and physical wellbeing. Rossdale golf course’s membership has grown by over 90 per cent since 2019. This is not a dying asset; it is a thriving community space. Ecologically, Rossdale adjoins Melbourne’s only internationally recognised Ramsar-listed site, the Edithvale wetlands. These wetlands are a vital green corridor supporting threatened waterbird species and preserving biodiversity. The site contains 1861 trees, and 66 per cent of these are native.

Development risks pollution, habitat destruction and flooding. Melbourne Water have sounded the alarm, warning of risks to life, property and the wetlands if development proceeds without robust planning. They have called for detailed flood and groundwater studies, climate modelling and biodiversity assessments, none of which have been properly completed. All of this has been found in the Ombudsman report, which was dropped this month. It is called When the Water Rises: Flood Risk at Two Housing Estates and follows a parliamentary complaint that was referred by this Council. With more homes comes more congestion, crowding in schools and health centres and pressure on employment centres.

Kingston council does not need this development to meet its housing target. Councils and communities are rallying against it for the sake of their liveability, sustainability and the preservation of their open space. Victorians want open space. It is essential that planning authorities think carefully before approving developments that would irreversibly damage community assets and ecological treasures. Rossdale golf course is not just land, it is a vital part of Aspendale’s identity, environment and future. This petition, carrying thousands of voices, makes that case powerfully. I call on the government to listen to the community, to respect Kingston council’s authority and to preserve Rossdale for generations to come.

 Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (17:55): The Allan Labor government is committed to delivering more homes for more Victorians in the places people want to live – in well-connected, well-serviced locations across our city and our state. It is why we have introduced some of the boldest housing reforms in the country, and it is why we are focused on making sure that those homes are built in all the right places, they are built well, they are built to last and that as communities grow, they have good access to public transport, services, schools, parks, hospitals and all the things that help us maintain healthy, happy lives. This is about gradual, long-term, sustainable change that will create the right conditions for industry to deliver the homes Victorians need. Today’s reforms will ensure we meet our targets over the next 10 to 25 years.

Let us be clear: this proposal has not been fast-tracked, nor is it deliberately bypassing community. It is disappointing but not surprising that those opposite would seek to stoke this lie and create further community division. Every proposal is considered on its merits, and every submission will be considered, including Kingston council’s, who have been actively engaged as part of this process. Rossdale golf course wrote to the Minister for Planning, requesting that she prepare, adopt and approve an amendment to the Kingston planning scheme to facilitate residential development at Rossdale golf course in Aspendale. The proposed amendment relates to an existing private landholding used as a golf course and within a special use zone: SUZ1 – Golf Course Land. The proponent contends that the use of the land for a golf course is no longer viable and wishes to relocate and facilitate residential development on the site. The Minister for Planning has referred this request to the Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee. The committee will provide advice to the minister on whether the first five steps of the planning guidelines for the conversion of golf land to other purposes have been completed satisfactorily and whether the project should proceed further.

This process is only considering whether the guidelines have been met, and there will be no consideration on whether an amendment should be prepared, adopted and approved by the Minister for Planning. Part of the committee’s terms of reference is to consider whether the proponent has developed a comprehensive community consultation program and undertaken sufficient consultation – step 5 of the planning guidelines. The committee has engaged with Kingston council as part of their hearings, giving council the opportunity to not only provide technical advice about the proposal but also raise the well-known concerns and views of the community about this proposal. This process is not about silencing voices or bypassing the council, nor has the proposal been fast-tracked. On the contrary, it is embedded within the golf course redevelopment guidelines that the community must be consulted, and it recognises the value of their voice in considering whether rezoning is appropriate. There will be further opportunities for community and stakeholder consultation on this proposal in the future. The Allan Labor government is committed to working with council and community to ensure they have a say in the future of Rossdale golf course , whatever that may be.

Community feedback on our Plan for Victoria was crystal clear. Victorians want equitable access to green spaces to improve the health and wellbeing of existing and future communities. As part of the Allan Labor government’s Plan for Victoria, the government has already committed to increasing tree canopy in urban areas by setting a target of 30 per cent tree canopy cover per LGA. In growth areas we will require planting canopy trees as a requirement for all new residential development. We are also protecting existing canopy trees, requiring a planning permit for the removal of canopy trees over 5 metres. I will leave my comments there.

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (17:59): Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the petitioners that have made sure that they have recorded their issues with this, and I want to also acknowledge Mrs Hermans, who has just been an incredible advocate for her community. Secondly, I just want to address some of Mr McIntosh’s comments – this is not about blocking building. This is about a pattern, which Labor is so entrenched in, of riding roughshod over rights and community voices and completely ignoring them. As Ms Bath often says, they do not consult with the community, they go in and they tell people what the predetermined position is and then they go in and they say ‘Oh, we consulted the community’ when that is entirely false. I rise to speak on a petition signed by more than 2000 residents from Aspendale, Edithvale, Chelsea, Mordialloc and Aspendale Gardens. This petition calls for the protection of Rossdale golf course and the adjoining Edithvale wetlands from large-scale residential development. This is not a fringe issue – a fringe issue or a niche issue does not gain over 2000 on-paper signatures. This is thousands of local residents, families and community organisations raising their voices in defence of environmental integrity and good planning that does consult and include communities and community wellbeing.

Rossdale sits beside Edithvale wetlands, Melbourne’s only internationally recognised Ramsar-listed wetland system – the only one. This landscape is not just an open space, it is a vital ecological corridor supporting threatened birdlife species and water life species, native flora and biodiversity. It cannot be replaced once it is destroyed, yet the proposed development seeks to just completely rip apart that community amenity, completely destroy the whole thing – against the wishes of the community, from what I understand – and to construct between 700 and 1000 dwellings on just 8 per cent of its total land. Melbourne Water has issued cautionary advice and warnings, identifying significant risk to life and property due to flooding, groundwater movement and environmental sensitivities. They have requested flood modelling, climate-based assessments and biodiversity studies, and those demands should not be treated as just roadblocks and bureaucratic obstacles – they are safeguards to prevent irreversible mistakes. There is a fundamental planning principle – a principle established for safety, logic and long-term resilience: you do not build houses where things are going to flood, like here, or in high-risk fire zones. Yet here we are attempting to justify development on a known flood plain beside a protected wetland.

The argument that the golf course is a failing asset simply does not stand up to scrutiny. Since COVID golf participation across the state has surged. Ask your old boss that – if he has managed to find a golf club that he can actually join. But Rossdale’s membership has increased by 90 per cent since 2019. Golf Australia itself has confirmed that the site was not to be sold or closed unless a suitable alternative site had been identified. That condition still remains unmet, so the City of Kingston is legally recognised as the planning authority in this situation. The minister acknowledged that, it is in writing, yet the proposal was escalated to the Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee without prior notice, once again bypassing local authority and local voices.

We acknowledge the need for new houses. We absolutely acknowledge that one of the legacies of this failed Labor government is an incredible housing crisis. There are so many people on the waitlist trying to get into a home; it is unaffordable for young families to get in – we acknowledge that. But homes must be built where they are safe, sustainable and appropriately supported by infrastructure. I thank Mrs Hermans for bringing this petition to the house, and I urge you to support it.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:04): I rise to support Mrs Hermans’ petition, and I rise to acknowledge the nearly 3000 people who signed the petition. I acknowledge those who have come here to listen to this debate and those that might be listening online, but also those who are attending an AGM right at this moment. I understand 100 of them are there – 100 people, citizens concerned about this issue – and this fight is ongoing because there is clearly very strong support from the community for this cause. It is ridiculous that the government have imposed this edict on the community. They do not listen to councils, they do not listen to the community, they do not listen to anybody in this state. They run roughshod over everybody, whether it is in a planning development or whether it is with transmission lines crisscrossing this state, impeding fabulous farming country or environmental areas. And now they want to fine people if they do not allow access to private property. This is a shocking situation we have got into in this state, where the government absolutely mandates everything, whether it is housing targets, energy programs, transmission lines or anything else. They just do not care about the community.

In this case Mrs Hermans has done a great job in advocating for her community and being concerned about this ridiculous rezoning. We have to acknowledge also the efforts of Kingston council, who ridiculously are dealing with monitors – two of them – at great cost to the council, over $1200 a day each. That is nonsense. It is costing them just because the minister does not like what the council have said or are doing. What an absolute disgrace this government is. They have clearly listened to their community. They are advocating for their community, like Mrs Hermans here, and they certainly do not need monitors. I met with mayor Georgina Oxley and CEO Peter Bean earlier this year, and I was absolutely impressed by their professionalism. I cannot believe the government think that council needs monitors. Anyway, I have told the minister that if you want to introduce monitors you should pay for them, not the ratepayers. Stop cost shifting onto the ratepayers and councils at every opportunity.

Council have said repeatedly that they can meet their housing targets without state interference, and I find this across the sector. They have actually worked with their community to develop housing strategies which will deliver homes. But the real problem in the housing crisis, so called, is that the government have imposed taxes, charges and regulations. We have got cultural heritage assessments and an extraordinary cost of labour thanks to your giving in to every union demand on every Big Build project. You are soaking up all the materials. Nearly 50 per cent of the cost of a dwelling is your fault. It is the government’s fault. This housing crisis is a government-inflicted problem. And do not then say, ‘Well, the councils have got to fix it, the ratepayers have got to fix it, and we will just run roughshod over your area, even though you’ve got a plan to produce housing in your particular area.’ The opposition is strongly supportive of housing development, but it needs to be in keeping with the community and their expectations, and it needs to be away from flood- and fire-prone areas.

Councils continually write to me concerned about the government’s approach to planning. They are interfered with, there is ministerial intervention, and the government have introduced planning amendments, but they fail to consult. They do not consult with the councils and they do not consult with the community. They are a monumental disgrace. All I can say is: keep on fighting, because you should not have this nonsense imposed on you. Congratulations to Mrs Hermans. Congratulations to Kingston council. Congratulations to all those concerned citizens, the ratepayers of Kingston, who are trying to do the right thing by their community. It is about time the government learned to do the right thing by the people of Victoria.

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:09): It is a great concern to me that the government has shown so much disrespect to this community, which is watching online and, sadly, through no fault of its own, announced and declared publicly an AGM where 100 people with the Save Rossdale Action Group are meeting as we meet here. The chamber on the other side is empty, with not a single councillor – not Mr Galea and not Mr Tarlamis, who is here in the room but is not speaking – speaking up about their community and about the Rossdale park and the golf course that needs to be retained. I want to thank the councillor and my constituents who have made the journey and those who could not because they are angry and at the AGM for the Save Rossdale Action Group.

This is a parcel of land that needs to be saved. This is a community that needs to be listened to. On behalf of the thousands who signed this petition and the thousands that are out there that are constantly talking to the council, the community and the Save Rossdale Action Group about this situation, I say this is a community asset and it needs to be protected. This is the Rossdale golf course, and I call on the government to listen, to act and to preserve the Rossdale golf course for generations to come. It is simply not good enough that when we have petitions from local people who live around the area and know the area they are not listened to. These wetlands are precious, and you cannot build homes on floodplains. It is irresponsible. It cannot be done. It should not be done. It is below sea level. What on earth is the government thinking about? They need to listen to Melbourne Water. They need to heed its warnings and its concerns. They need to listen to the local council, and they absolutely need to learn to listen to the local community. I call on the government to be responsible and respectful. The way they have done this debate tonight – not even having a local member or a minister speak – is appalling, and so I say it is an absolute disgrace. Listen to the people.

Motion agreed to.