Tuesday, 3 March 2026

 Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (21:33): (2368) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts. It concerns the former Ballarat saleyards site on La Trobe Street, currently Ballarat’s most successful open air dust storage facility. On 8 April 2025 a press release was triumphantly released, entitled ‘Works to begin to restore and repurpose key sites’. That was 11 months ago. I appreciate that 11 months in government time can sometimes feel like 11 minutes, but to the people of Ballarat it suspiciously feels like 11 months. The Australian summed it up last week with the headline ‘Ballarat’s Commonwealth Games dream just a wasteland of broken promises’ and for once no embellishment is required.

Ballarat was promised remediation works. We were promised that the land would be levelled off. Housing, jobs and a legacy were all promised. Instead, what we have got is a block of land that looks like it is auditioning for a low-budget post-apocalyptic film. Residents drive past daily wondering whether it is a development site or whether it is an interactive exhibit on government delivery. Bill Stolk from the Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers Association group called it an ‘eyesore’ and said it was urgently needing attention. He is correct. At the current rate of progress, the only growth industry on the site is weeds. Bruce Crawford described it as ‘a huge disappointment for Ballarat’ – again, correct. Then there is the signage – the sign suggests desperately needed low-cost housing may not be the priority it once was. So, what is it? Is it an employment precinct? Is it affordable housing? Is it a mixed-use hub? Or is it just a very expensive patch of dirt with excellent graphic design? At this pace, I suspect Gout Gout is probably going to run to the Los Angeles Olympics before the site reaches a practical use. Committee for Ballarat CEO Mike Poulton described the housing commitment as ‘opaque’, saying it is ‘the new investment we just haven’t seen’.

Opaque is being diplomatic – Ballarat residents might call it invisible. So the action I seek from the minister is simple: will you provide a clear and comprehensive timeline for remediation, planning, construction and delivery so the people of Ballarat know whether this site has a future or whether it is simply destined to remain the Commonwealth Games’ most permanent legacy?