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Planning A Joke In Victoria: HallWind farm developments, rural planning zones and toxic waste sites are just some examples of why Victoria’s planning system is "a joke and a farce", according to Nationals MP Peter Hall. By Peter Hall - 15th November 2004 - Back to News Mr Hall was scathing of the Government and the Planning Minister, Mary Delahunty, during debate on amendments to the Planning and Environment Bill and was particularly incensed by a line in the second reading speech that stated ‘Victoria enjoys one of the most robust and inclusive planning systems in Australia.’
"That statement is a joke and a farce," Mr Hall told Parliament.
"Far from being inclusive, this government has made a practice of excluding people from the planning process.
"There is no better example of this than the wind farm planning guidelines. If you want to develop a wind farm in Victoria with more than 30 megawatts of nominal output, the minister has the total say in the planning process.
"It does not matter what local government thinks or what local communities think, this government is hell bent on imposing wind farms on Victorian coastal and rural communities.
"In wind farm developments there is no absolute requirement to undertake an EES (Environmental Effects Statement) and there are plenty of examples where no EES has been required. That is not an inclusive planning system for the state."
Mr Hall gave as further examples the situation with rural planning zones and toxic waste sites.
In relation to rural planning zones, he said: "A proposal was published at the end of November 2003. There was no publicity or press release about the release of these new rural planning zones, no public notice in the local paper or notification given to anyone about them, yet the government expected comments to come in by 20 February.
"Under the cloak of the Christmas holiday period, this government was trying to rush in new planning zones without any consultation or inclusion of Victorians in that process."
The planning processes for toxic waste sites were another farce, he said.
"We had the farce with the proposals for Baddaginnie, Tiega and Pittong where neighbours were informed only at the last minute by messengers knocking on their doors at midnight telling them that the government was proposing to put a toxic waste dump alongside their properties.
"That shows the total incompetence of the government on this issue, with no inclusion or opportunity for these people to have a say."
Mr Hall was emphatic that whatever the proposed changes, such as changing the Environmental Effects Statement process, the Bill did not address the fundamental issue.
"The Nationals say quite categorically that there is no way we will ever support giving the current Minister for Planning any more powers, given the debacles with some of the issues that I have recounted so far in this debate.
"I sum up by saying that although I have some sympathy for the provisions in this bill - and in theory they have some merit - how could we ever possibly agree to giving the current Minister for Planning increased power, given some of the diabolical planning blunders that have been made by the minister and this government? "I think planning in the state of Victoria will long be remembered as one of the worst failings of this government, and that Victorians, both metropolitan and country residents, have been badly let down."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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