Green Wedges Coalition - A vision for Melbourne

The Greens, Labor and Coalition candidates for the State Election all endorsed policies to protect Melbourne’s Green Wedges, but in terms of their survey responses and their record over the past Parliamentary term, the Greens are well ahead on Green Wedge protection. (The responses are attached below)

 

This year, ALP Government and Coalition Opposition MPs voted to extend the Urban Growth Boundary to remove 43,600 ha from the green wedges: forcing farmers and land-holders to sell to developers or be surrounded by suburban sprawl and hit with urban-scale rates. Only Greens MPs have consistently opposed UGB expansion and supported green wedge protection. 

 

The Green Wedges Coalition has surveyed candidates stand on protecting the green wedges that that protect our farmland, recreation and environmental areas from urban development before they vote. Green wedges are the lungs of Melbourne, for everyone. Hence we have surveyed candidates in urban as well as green wedge and marginal electorates, including Essendon, Brunswick, Frankston, Gembrook, Narre Warren South Legislative Assembly districts as well as the Northern, South Eastern and Western Legislative Council regions. Most candidates relied on generic responses(attached), which generally avoided the yes/no responses that we suggested.

 

Before the 2006 State election, Liberal, ALP and Greens candidates supported policies to protect the green wedges within the then Urban Growth Boundary and said yes to our main questions. National Party candidates were generally supportive, but wanted to allow farmers the “right” to subdivide, although this makes it harder for farmers to exercise their right to farm. DLP candidates did not respond then or now.

 

Planning Minister and candidate for Essendon, Justin Madden, said Labor “recognised the importance of Green Wedges to the integrity of Melbourne’s planning strategy and (to) the liveability of our city.” He relied on the local Green Wedge Management Plans to protect the integrity of the green wedges and did not commit to maintaining even the expanded UGB.

 

He cited the recent $4 million grant from Environment Minister and South Eastern ??candidate Gavin Jennings, for work on the Chain of Parks Trail through the South Eastern Green Wedge as an example of Government working in partnership with Councils and community groups.

 

The Coalition said it was a “long term supporter of green wedges” and has not supported any Urban Growth Boundary expansion outside of growth areas.” However, as the new growth areas were all in the Green Wedges until last July, this gives no grounds for confidence. Further, the Coalition has said it wants to rezone even more green wedge land for urban development and would allow “ logical inclusions to be considered” should municipalities have other green wedge land they want included in the UGB.    

 

Significantly however, the Coalition would “protect any land within the UGB that is of environmental significance and will consider requiring independent planning panels to hear objections to the framework plans now being prepared for the new growth areas.” This could save up to 5000 ha of environmentally significant Western Basalt Plains grasslands; grassy woodlands in the Maribyrnong and Merri Creek catchments, with their giant red gums; and 4000 ha of the South East food-bowl, where highly productive market gardens using recycled water double as Southern Brown Bandicoot habitat set to be cleared for urban development in consequence of the recent UGB expansion.

 

The Greens also want the environmental values of these now threatened areas protected and reserved by legislation. Their generic response avoided yes/no answers, but individual candidates were prepared to unambiguously support the existing Urban Growth Boundaries for the protection of green wedges and some wanted to revoke the recent UGB expansion if at all possible.

 

The Greens also wanted tighter restriction of some of the inappropriate urban-style or environmentally threatening uses that are presently classed as discretionary and require Council permits. The Greens also wanted to prioritise public transport over road and freeway funding and wanted road projects re-routed to avoid environmentally significant sites. The Coalition cited support for new rail projects but avoided any comparison with freeways, which they have also strongly supported in the past.

 

The Liberal Party has said it wants to rezone even more green wedge land for urban development. We will ask them where their “strategic opportunities” might be and ask the ALP whether they will at least hold the Urban Growth Boundary where it is now.

 

 

 

The Green Wedge Coalition calls on voters to consider where their candidates stand on protecting the green wedges that make Melbourne one of the world’s most livable cities. 

 

Our campaign to save the green wedges has attracted a strong public support:

·         163 environmental and community groups from across Melbourne’s 12 green wedges have joined our coalition or signed our charter since our inception in 2002.

·         Councils that have consulted their residents: eg via Manningham’s survey of a cross section of residents and Casey’s public consultations with 600 residents from urban as well as rural areas, have found overwhelmingly most people do not want the green wedges developed;

·         In our experience, we have not met anyone, except for developers and land holders with vested interests in making profits from subdivision or commercial development of their land (or their supporters eg in local councils) who does not want our City’s green breathing spaces preserved. Not all green wedge land holders want to see the green wedges carved up and covered with suburbs and factories: a number of our members are land holders who want the wedges protected so they can to go on with farming without neighbouring encroachment by residential or inappropriate commercial development.    

 

Our coalition welcomed the green wedge protection package introduced by the Bracks Government in 2002. We also welcomed the unanimous support from the Liberal and National Opposition for the interim green wedge protection legislation in Parliament in 2002. We have warmly welcomed the strong support for Green Wedge Protection from the Greens in the term just past. 

 

 Contact: Rosemary West, Coordinator, Green Wedge Coalition 9772 712, 0418 554 799. Rowest@ozemail.com.au. Available on request:  *   list of questions for candidates (qnaire)