Joint Statement - Labor's planning takeover to swing wrecking ball through suburbs

Joint Statement – Labor’s planning takeover to swing wrecking ball through suburbs

David Southwick, Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure

James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Planning

27 December 2023.

Under the cover of Christmas, the Allan Labor Government has pushed ahead with its Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) planning power takeover which strips away the rights of local communities.

Hidden on Page 50 of the Victorian Government Gazette, five maps have been published, without a reference to the suburbs where they are located.

The gazetted declarations give the Suburban Rail Loop Authority planning power decisions for approximately 45 square kilometres of land across five suburbs along the rail corridor, taking away community rights in the declared areas.

Labor’s planning takeover means local communities will have no say over the imposition of dozens of high-rise towers, wrecking the face and character of their suburbs forever.

Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure, David Southwick, said: “Planning experts and economists agree that Labor simply won’t be able to deliver its pie-in-the-sky figure of $11 billion in value capture, meaning Victorians will have to pay even higher taxes.

“The Allan Labor Government has signed secret contracts for the most expensive project in Victoria’s history without even knowing if they can pay for it. We already have a $20 billion
funding black hole for the $34.5 billion first stage alone, so Premier Allan must tell Victorians how she will pay for the full $200 billion project.”

Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury, said: “The Allan Labor Government has declared these sites so that the State Government can override local community decisions and take a wrecking ball through our suburbs.

“The solution to the housing crisis is a proper plan for our State’s future, not taking away local planning decisions and imposing high rise towers right across our communities.”

James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Planning

David Southwick, Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure