Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

STATEMENTS ON REPORTS AND PAPERS
Wednesday, 1 June 2011 COUNCIL 1655
understand the Department of Sustainability and
Environment is leaving no stone unturned, as it were, to
achieve a high figure — I am not quite sure of the
record — in terms of that process.
The maintenance of strategic fuel breaks to protect
communities and critical assets is an important part of
the response, and the government has made a very
serious investment in that as well as a commitment to
better manage fuel on roadsides. I know that in my
region many people are of the view that one of the
major threats to communities is the fact that bushfires
use roadsides as wicks to migrate from one area of
significant vegetation to another even though there may
be limited fuel in between because of grazing and
farmland. Over recent decades roadside vegetation has
become prolific, the result of which is that in a hot
period it is quite possible for those fires, which are
difficult to control, to simply be encouraged to migrate
because there is no capacity to limit the speed at which
they move along the fuel on the roadsides.
It is also important that we understand that activity in
the bush on high-risk days is something that needs to be
managed. The government has acknowledged that that
is a significant issue, and there will be a better
management regime put in place around that, including
restricting the development of buildings in bushfire-risk
locations and ensuring that buildings are of an adequate
design to withstand fire and to integrate with the
surrounding environment where there is a high risk of
fire. In conclusion, I think it is important to note the
government’s commitment to encouraging people to
live in areas that are not high-risk bushfire areas.
Auditor-General: Revitalising Central
Dandenong
Mr TARLAMIS (South Eastern Metropolitan) — I
rise to speak about the Auditor-General’s report entitled
Revitalising Central Dandenong, which was tabled in
Parliament on 4 May. The Revitalising Central
Dandenong (RCD) project is a 16-year, $290 million
investment to rejuvenate Dandenong under the former
Labor government’s Melbourne 2030 planning policy,
later known as Melbourne @ 5 Million. It sought to
address the urban decline of a once-vibrant satellite city
known locally as Melbourne’s second city. The last
20 years saw that city’s gradual decline, which was
manifest in slower population growth, higher than
average unemployment rates, low wages when
compared to other metropolitan areas and ageing
housing stock.
Added to this decline was the emergence of
neighbouring shopping centres and entertainment
options that diverted activity away from the central
activity district to new housing developments and
suburbs in the surrounding area. The city’s ability to
attract investment was limited due to poor integration
between the train station, the central business district
and Lonsdale Street, dividing the CBD into two
opposite retail and commercial areas. While the report
outlines a number of governance matters and a series of
recommendations on how to improve the performance
and measurements of RCD, which I am confident the
Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy, will duly act
upon, I wish to talk about the transformation that is
occurring in Dandenong and the improvement that this
investment has brought to the area.
Dandenong is located at the centre of Melbourne’s
South Eastern Metropolitan Region and is home to one
of Victoria’s largest manufacturing sectors, providing
more than 74 000 jobs. It was home to Heinz and
GM Holden, just to name two of the large industrial and
commercial businesses that were established there after
the war. This led to a burgeoning population of
migrants seeking to settle in the area, close to the
employment opportunities it offered. As these
businesses have closed or moved offshore over the
years, Dandenong itself has fallen victim to gradual
decline. The establishment of Dandenong Plaza in the
early 1990s impacted heavily on the central business
district, with many retail stores and services moving
across to the new centre or relocating due to the
dramatic decline in pedestrian traffic in the CBD.
The former Labor government understood the
importance of Dandenong’s revitalisation in addressing
not only urban sprawl and Melbourne’s growing
population but also the social and economic decline of
the area. Dandenong’s location, being close to road and
rail infrastructure, as well as the presence of
government, health and education services along with
its geographical location in the south-east, makes its
renewal central to good urban planning in the region.
The Monash, South Gippsland and EastLink freeways
are all within easy access, and it is an ideal suburb for
commuting between Melbourne, the outer south-east,
Western Port and the peninsula. In addition to its large
manufacturing sector and the attendant job
opportunities this base generates, many people are
drawn to the area to live, work and raise their families.
Putting to one side the performance of the RCD project,
from the raw data I can say that Labor’s investment in
Dandenong has paid dividends for the community. On
page 22 the report identifies the following trends and
perceptions. Between 2005–10 the declared area has
decreased the downward trend in employment evident