Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

PETITIONS
1674 COUNCIL Thursday, 2 June 2011
Noes, 19
Barber, Mr Pakula, Mr
Broad, Ms Pennicuik, Ms
Darveniza, Ms Pulford, Ms
Eideh, Mr Scheffer, Mr
Elasmar, Mr (Teller) Somyurek, Mr
Hartland, Ms (Teller) Tarlamis, Mr
Jennings, Mr Tee, Mr
Leane, Mr Tierney, Ms
Lenders, Mr Viney, Mr
Mikakos, Ms
Motion agreed to.
Read first time.
Hon. R. A. DALLA-RIVA (Minister for
Employment and Industrial Relations) — I move:
That, by leave, the second reading be made an order of the
day for later this day.
Leave refused.
Ordered that second reading be made order of the
day for next day.
PETITIONS
Following petitions presented to house:
Kindergartens: funding
To the Legislative Council of Victoria:
The petition of certain citizens of the state of Victoria draws
to the attention of the Legislative Council:
1. Victoria’s current baby boom and the COAG agreement
to increase kinder hours for all four-year-olds from 10 to
15 hours will mean that many more kindergarten places
will be required; and
2. the Baillieu government’s commitment of only
$15 million over four years will be unable to provide the
necessary expansion of kindergarten facilities.
The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council
of Victoria urgently calls on the Baillieu government to
address this funding shortfall and significantly increase the
level of funding available to expand Victoria’s kindergartens.
By Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan)
(59 signatures).
Laid on table.
Planning: urban growth boundary
To the Legislative Council:
This petition is of materially impacted stakeholders on the
west side of arterial Ironbark Road, Diamond Creek (and its
collector Pioneer Road), north of the original town centre
(Chute Street). However, the lands will be north-west of the
new town centre if this unfair substitution is approved with
amendment C53. They consist of 175–199 Ironbark Road,
Diamond Creek (40 acres), 201–219 Ironbark Road,
Diamond Creek (5 acres), adjoining 40–60 Pioneer Road,
Yarrambat (14.5 acres), and 221–233 Pioneer Road,
Yarrambat (8 acres).
The petitioners draw urgent attention to the house the fact that
their lands had been wrongly excluded from the new urban
growth boundary (UGB) in 2004 against provisions in the
then applicable legislation — for example, 1989 Water Act.
Prior to this, they had been in the designated Plenty growth
corridor and paid heavily for growth (see transcript of
evidence to Parliamentary inquiry into the UGB dated
22/10/2009). Note follow-up petitions tabled in Parliamentary
Council on 22/11/2009 and 10/12/2009 titled ‘Planning shire
of Nillumbik’, and 3/2/2010 titled ‘Water entitlements
legislation’.
The lands need to be correctly included in the UGB before its
expansion and prior to complications by new local, state or
federal policies/strategies for further growth or development
which utilises reticulated infrastructure. It is essential for them
to be included in all old (and new if eroded) servicing
strategies irrespective of any final site-specific land use.
Procrastination in making the necessary equitable corrections
of past planning mistakes, anomalies and irregularities is only
making it more difficult and costly to put it right.
New livability objectives, existing character, conservation,
green wedge, open space, landscape, utility need or any other
new (or old) community aspirations are not excuses to
exclude any of the above-listed lands from the UGB, ‘just’
planning corrections or unfair decisions. All of these can be
equitably included in the overall development plans of any
residential area, thereby ensuring equal urban land value.
Please note that lands covering lots 175–219 Ironbark Road
were compulsorily charged the most for reticulated
infrastructure (for example, water) in that urban extension and
therefore had the most land capability, value and certainty for
development. Urban infrastructure provision was only
approved for residential areas. You would not make people
pay for infrastructure with the hidden agenda for them to be
targeted never to be planned to use it! If this happened, it
must be fairly corrected to urban residential zoning/status and
not omitted with any excuse — for example, the government
changed its mind, it is not an anomaly, the horse has bolted,
you were charged wrongly, it is bad luck.
The independent panels failed to consider all of the listed
lands’ attached distinctive reticulated infrastructure in any of
their recommendations for further growth. This needs to be
corrected in any new releases of land in the shire of
Nillumbik.
Prayer
The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council
urge the new Premier of Victoria, the Honourable Ted
Baillieu, planning minister the Honourable Matthew Guy, and
the Victorian state government to assist them in the cause and
course of justice by:
urgently ensuring that the lands are included in the urban
growth boundary (UGB);