Media Statements

Statement - Local communities to pay the price of Labor’s planning mismanagement

Statement – Local communities to pay the price of Labor’s planning mismanagement

James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Planning

29 March 2024.

On the eve of the Easter long weekend, the Allan Labor Government sneakily released growth activity centre mapping for so-called public consultation.

Hidden on the Victorian Planning Authority website, avoiding proper transparency, the Government released mapping for Broadmeadows, Camberwell, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Moorabbin, Niddrie and North Essendon, Preston and Ringwood.

Under Labor, these communities will be subjected to greater densification with fewer planning controls and locals will no longer have a real say over what is built in their streets.

This most recent subversive release of information follows repeated examples of Labor stripping away third-party rights in planning as it falls well behind its promise of 80,000 new homes a year for the next decade.

Labor has also removed the rights of the community to have a proper say where residents live within two kilometres of future Suburban Rail Loop stations, near renewable energy projects, designated growth and economic zones, public housing sites, and school and childcare locations.

Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury, said: “The State Government has sneakily released their intention to railroad communities under the cover of Easter.

“Labor is vandalising great swathes of Melbourne, without any social licence, hoping that by sneaking through the process over Easter, the ten communities won’t notice.

“What the Allan Labor Government will learn later this year when the bulk of planning law changes go to Parliament, is that when you take away third party rights and trash amenity, Victorians bite back hard. And Victorians will.”

James Newbury, Shadow Minister for Planning