Thursday, 13 August 2026

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (22:41): (2701) My adjournment matter is for the minister for transport infrastructure. Today the member for Box Hill in the other place claimed he is willing to discuss a master plan for the Box Hill brickworks parkland site. How? The government, with his support, gazetted a precinct plan locking in 10- and 20-storey towers over 95 per cent of the site. He has contradicted himself and his government, but that is no surprise. This is the same local member who, before the election, told the Box Hill Brickworks Parkland Association he could imagine a Central Park skyline with a parkland laid out before it and then actively worked against it after the election. This is the same local member who advised his community not to speak up about the parkland too loudly, because that would inflate its value and make it harder to purchase, and then supported a rezoning for towers that massively increased the value that put it out of financial reach of council. He has deliberately led the Box Hill community down along a path that he knew would lead to nowhere.

Today the member for Box Hill made a new claim: that turning the brickworks into parkland was impossible because it would cost $200 million. What authority did he rely on for that claim? Why, it was none other than his own Labor colleague, member for North-East Metro Ms Terpstra of ‘Not everyone hates potholes’ fame. The minister for potholes is quoting the member for potholes. Well, I would like to know where either of them arrived at that figure. How could this figure even exist when, according to Mr Hamer, no independent analysis was allowed? The government could not even get on the land, he said. This is exactly why I raised a documents motion yesterday, because there is clearly something dodgy going on. In response, Ms Terpstra told this chamber that the Suburban Rail Loop Authority had advised her that purchase and remediation works for the Box Hill brickworks would cost $200 million. Is there such advice or was that just made up?

The action I seek from the minister is: if that advice does exist, then make it public. Make it public so we can all see a typical Labor lie at work. Because if it is over $100 million to remediate, how is anyone going to be able to viably develop this land for affordable housing? And why are you using the cost of remediation for towers as if it is the same cost as remediation for parkland? If it is $100 million to purchase, how much of that is because of your own rezoning? Prior to that, it was independently valued at $19 million to $25 million. So if that advice exists, release it. Otherwise, admit it was just made up to mislead the community of Box Hill and hand the people of Box Hill yet another reason why they should never trust Labor again. The Box Hill brickworks must be parkland.