News / Politics

Brunswick candidates trade blows over planning

Second election forum covers wide range of issues

Brunswick candidates face their inquisitors at Thursday night’s election debate inside the Brunswick Uniting Church building.

Mark Phillips
Friday, October 21, 2022 

PLANNING and property development have emerged as hot button state election issues following a lively Brunswick candidates debate on Thursday night.

The five candidates who took part in the forum spent almost half their time debating the role of the state in regulating property development, with Labor’s Mike Williams sometimes on the back foot defending Andrews’ Government decisions but also blaming Merri-bek City Council for not doing enough.

The forum at the Brunswick Uniting Church was the second opportunity for voters to quiz candidates about key policy areas following a transport-focused event two weeks ago.

Most major parties were represented at Thursday night’s event, which was organised by the Brunswick Residents Network and was chaired by ABC journalist Daniel Ziffer.

Incumbent MP Tim Read from the Greens and his main challenger for the seat at the November 26 election, Labor’s Mike Williams, attended the forum along with Victorian Socialists’ Nahui Jimenez, the Reason Party’s Shea Evans and Rachel Lamarche of the Animal Justice Party.

Independent George Georgiou was an apology, while the Liberal Party’s Minh Quan Nguyen was announced too late as the candidate for Brunswick to be issued with an invitation.

Topics discussed at the forum ranged from public transport to pedestrian safety, the removal of flammable cladding from apartment buildings to the protection of Brunswick’s heritage.

But it was planning that provoked the most lively debate when Mr Williams blamed Merri-bek City Council for failing to deal with the rapid pace of property development, but was also forced to defend the Andrews’ government record on planning.

Questioned about how his party would ensure consistency and certainty rather than ambiguity in planning, Mr Williams said the problems stemmed from the council’s own planning scheme.

“The Merri-bek planning scheme does need a lot of improvement because the heavy lifting hasn’t been done by council in the past and there are a range of areas where you can essentially drive a truck through it, it’s so vague and ill-defined,” he said.

“If you contrast what other councils have done and you look at what Merri-bek has done to bring through amendments to the planning scheme, Merri-bek has done very little, whether it’s on sunlight, protection of open space, whether it’s on height limits or protection of heritage. Really, most of the decisions are made at that level.”

But he was challenged by Merri-bek councillor James Conlan, who was in the audience and sought to “fact check” Mr Williams’ comments, accusing the Labor government of refusing to regulate developers because they were the party’s biggest donors.

“All the funds from my campaign have come from Brunswick locals,” Mr Williams responded. “I haven’t received a cent from property developers. I’ve done all my own fundraising on the ground, none have come from corporate interests.”

Mr Evans agreed with Mr Williams that the planning scheme needed to be “beefed up” but he said it was incorrect to blame the council for a situation that was created by a system that allowed developers to appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to over-rule decisions made by the council.

“I think to blame the council for that is a really easy kind of thing to do, but it’s not technically correct,” he said.

“The ambiguity that exists [in state laws] allows the developers to have too much of a say and if there were permanent structures that gave definite answers to this, there wouldn’t be the need for a lot of fighting.”

Later in the forum, discussion returned to planning in the context of protecting local parks from over-development, with Dr Read arguing there was a clear role for the state government.

He said it had been the Andrews Government which in 2017 had over-ruled the then-Moreland Council when it had attempted to amend its planning scheme to have mandatory height limits.

“It’s all very well to say the council’s got to work harder to get height limits, but if it’s blocked by the state Planning Minister, what’s the point? So we need to change the planning legislation so that mandatory height limits can be set.”

WATCH: full video of the candidates forum

Ms Lamarche said the issue highlighted the tension between providing more housing in suburbs like Brunswick which are close to the CBD, and protecting the area’s existing heritage and green space, and it was not possible or desirable to just say no to more development.

“The population is going to continue to grow, people are going to continue to want to live close to the city … So I think that we need to have an approach that recognises the importance of parks but also the importance of having housing for people who want to live with us in Brunswick.”

Ms Jimenez said most of the planning issues in Brunswick stemmed from the fast-tracking of developments to deliver profits and reduce community input.

All candidates agreed that there should be a renewed inquiry by Parliament into the planning system after the election.

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Election candidates  at the forum on Thursday were (from left) Mike Williams of Labor, Nahui Jimenez of Victorian Socialists, Rachel Lamarche of Animal Justice Party, Shea Evans of Reason Party, and Tim Read of the Greens. Independent candidate George Georgiou was an apology.

Election candidates  at the forum on Thursday were Mike Williams of Labor, Nahui Jimenez of Victorian Socialists, Rachel Lamarche of Animal Justice Party, Shea Evans of Reason Party,  and Tim Read of the Greens. Independent candidate George Georgiou was an apology.

Skyrail

The biggest ticket item of the election campaign so far has been the announcement of the removal of all level crossings and the construction of a skyrail between Royal Park and Moreland Road.

All the candidates back the multi-billion dollar skyrail project, but concerns were aired at the forum that this would lead to an increase in car traffic at the expense of pedestrians and cyclists.

Mr Williams said the project would have the opposite impact by improving the regularity of trains on the Upfield line while delivering a “world class” cycling and walking path under the skyrail.

“I’m not suggesting that the project itself is not going to be disruptive in the short term, of course it is. But it’s going to have massive long-term benefits for Brunswick … [by] getting cars off the road and emissions reduction … getting our trains working more often, and also getting people cycling more often through the suburb.”

Dr Read said evidence from the Moreland to Coburg skyrail was that despite the separated bike and pedestrian paths, cycling times were now slower.

“I think as we move south … we’ll need to get organised and advocate firmly to government around improving outcomes for cyclists,” he said.

Mr Evans said it was also important that the skyrail and the Upfield paths were integrated with other transport options, while Ms Lamarche said there needed to be increased planning and investment in separated bike lanes throughout Brunswick, including the east-west direction.

Pedestrian safety

Along from cycling, the candidates were asked about how they would convince the Department of Transport to take pedestrian safety seriously.

Ms Jimenez said she supported a reduction of suburban speed limits to 30kmh as part of a suite of measures to improve pedestrian safety, but a new approach was needed to force Roads and Road Safety Minister Ben Carroll to take action.

“There’s been submission after submission, and he doesn’t care,” she said. “I think the only way that we’re going to make him care is by organising community protests and making this one of the key issues.”

Mr Evans said there needed to be a separate government minister for cycling and pedestrian transport and a realignment of transport priorities in a growing Melbourne.

“If we keep building roads and not listening to walking and cycling groups then that is only going to be to the detriment of everyone,” he said.

Dr Read said the state government was “car-centric” and spent just 1% on active transport like walking which needed dedicated funding, while Mr Williams maintained pedestrian safety was improving thanks to community advocacy.

“I think we are heading in the right direction on that [but] I don’t think it’s true to say that the mindset is cars first, because I think we know that we need to get cars off the road.

“That’s why we’ve got this enormous transport infrastructure investment that’s occurring, including in skyrail. And a lot of that is also about enhancing pedestrian safety, as well.”

Labor candidate Mike Williams (front) came under pressure on Thursday night.

Flammable cladding

An audit last year found that 158 buildings in the city of Merri-bek had dangerous flammable cladding that needs to be removed or rectified. One question from the floor at the forum asked candidates how they would accelerate the program to make these buildings safe.

Dr Read said he was concerned that the government program to remove flammable cladding had run out of money, while Mr Evans said there was a lack of government accountability about the program.

Ms Jimenez said the problem derived from the use of cheap materials by builders and there needed to be a review of the program.

Mr Williams said the job of an active and energetic local member was to advocate for residents and pursue government agencies for answers as to why the cladding removal program was taking so long.

An online forum featuring candidates for the seat of Pascoe Vale will be held at 7pm next Wednesday. Following a redrawing of electoral boundaries, part of Brunswick West now falls into the Pascoe Vale district. The forum is hosted by the Merri-bek Bicycle Users Group and will be chaired by broadcaster and local resident Kulja Coulston. Follow this link to register your attendance.

PLANNING and property development have emerged as hot button state election issues following a lively Brunswick candidates debate on Thursday night.

The five candidates who took part in the forum spent almost half their time debating the role of the state in regulating property development, with Labor’s Mike Williams sometimes on the back foot defending Andrews’ Government decisions but also blaming Merri-bek City Council for not doing enough.

The forum at the Brunswick Uniting Church was the second opportunity for voters to quiz candidates about key policy areas following a transport-focused event two weeks ago.

Most major parties were represented at Thursday night’s event, which was organised by the Brunswick Residents Network and was chaired by ABC journalist Daniel Ziffer.

Incumbent MP Tim Read from the Greens and his main challenger for the seat at the November 26 election, Labor’s Mike Williams, attended the forum along with Victorian Socialists’ Nahui Jimenez, the Reason Party’s Shea Evans and Rachel Lamarche of the Animal Justice Party.

Independent George Georgiou was an apology, while the Liberal Party’s Minh Quan Nguyen was announced too late as the candidate for Brunswick to be issued with an invitation.

Topics discussed at the forum ranged from public transport to pedestrian safety, the removal of flammable cladding from apartment buildings to the protection of Brunswick’s heritage.

But it was planning that provoked the most lively debate when Mr Williams blamed the Greens-controlled Merri-bek City Council for failing to deal with the rapid pace of property development, but was also forced to defend the Andrews’ government record on planning.

Questioned about how his party would ensure consistency and certainty rather than ambiguity in planning, Mr Williams said the problems stemmed from the council’s own planning scheme.

“The Merri-bek planning scheme does need a lot of improvement because the heavy lifting hasn’t been done by council in the past and there are a range of areas where you can essentially drive a truck through it, it’s so vague and ill-defined,” he said.

“If you contrast what other councils have done and you look at what Merri-bek has done to bring through amendments to the planning scheme, Merri-bek has done very little, whether it’s on sunlight, protection of open space, whether it’s on height limits or protection of heritage. Really, most of the decisions are made at that level.”

But he was challenged by Merri-bek councillor James Conlan, who was in the audience and sought to “fact check” Mr Williams’ comments, accusing the Labor government of refusing to regulate developers because they were the party’s biggest donors.

“All the funds from my campaign have come from Brunswick locals,” Mr Williams responded. “I haven’t received a cent from property developers. I’ve done all my own fundraising on the ground, none have come from corporate interests.”

Mr Evans agreed with Mr Williams that the planning scheme needed to be “beefed up” but he said it was incorrect to blame the council for a situation that was created by a system that allowed developers to appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to over-rule decisions made by the council.

“I think to blame the council for that is a really easy kind of thing to do, but it’s not technically correct,” he said.

“The ambiguity that exists [in state laws] allows the developers to have too much of a say and if there were permanent structures that gave definite answers to this, there wouldn’t be the need for a lot of fighting.”

Later in the forum, discussion returned to planning in the context of protecting local parks from over-development, with Dr Read arguing there was a clear role for the state government.

He said it had been the Andrews Government which in 2017 had over-ruled the then-Moreland Council when it had attempted to amend its planning scheme to have mandatory height limits.

“It’s all very well to say the council’s got to work harder to get height limits, but if it’s blocked by the state Planning Minister, what’s the point? So we need to change the planning legislation so that mandatory height limits can be set.”

WATCH: full video of the candidates forum

Ms Lamarche said the issue highlighted the tension between providing more housing in suburbs like Brunswick which are close to the CBD, and protecting the area’s existing heritage and green space, and it was not possible or desirable to just say no to more development.

“The population is going to continue to grow, people are going to continue to want to live close to the city … So I think that we need to have an approach that recognises the importance of parks but also the importance of having housing for people who want to live with us in Brunswick.”

Ms Jiminez said most of the planning issues in Brunswick stemmed from the fast-tracking of developments to deliver profits and reduce community input.

All candidates agreed that there should be a renewed inquiry by Parliament into the planning system after the election.

Election candidates (from left) Mike Williams of Labor, Nahui Jimenez of Victorian Socialists, Rachel Lamarche of Animal Justice Party, Shea Evans of Reason Party, and Tim Read of the Greens.

Skyrail

The biggest ticket item of the election campaign so far has been the announcement of the removal of all level crossings and the construction of a skyrail between Royal Park and Moreland Road.

All the candidates back the multi-billion dollar skyrail project, but concerns were aired at the forum that this would lead to an increase in car traffic at the expense of pedestrians and cyclists.

Mr Williams said the project would have the opposite impact by improving the regularity of trains on the Upfield line while delivering a “world class” cycling and walking path under the skyrail.

“I’m not suggesting that the project itself is not going to be disruptive in the short term, of course it is. But it’s going to have massive long-term benefits for Brunswick … [by] getting cars off the road and emissions reduction … getting our trains working more often, and also getting people cycling more often through the suburb.”

Dr Read said evidence from the Moreland to Coburg skyrail was that despite the separated bike and pedestrian paths, cycling times were now slower.

“I think as we move south … we’ll need to get organised and advocate firmly to government around improving outcomes for cyclists,” he said.

Mr Evans said it was also important that the skyrail and the Upfield paths were integrated with other transport options, while Ms Lamarche said there needed to be increased planning and investment in separated bike lanes throughout Brunswick, including the east-west direction.

Pedestrian safety

Along from cycling, the candidates were asked about how they would convince the Department of Transport to take pedestrian safety seriously.

Ms Jimenez said she supported a reduction of suburban speed limits to 30kmh as part of a suite of measures to improve pedestrian safety, but a new approach was needed to force Roads and Road Safety Minister Ben Carroll to take action.

“There’s been submission after submission, and he doesn’t care,” she said. “I think the only way that we’re going to make him care is by organising community protests and making this one of the key issues.”

Mr Evans said there needed to be a separate government minister for cycling and pedestrian transport and a realignment of transport priorities in a growing Melbourne.

“If we keep building roads and not listening to walking and cycling groups then that is only going to be to the detriment of everyone,” he said.

Dr Read said the state government was “car-centric” and spent just 1% on active transport like walking which needed dedicated funding, while Mr Williams maintained pedestrian safety was improving thanks to community advocacy.

“I think we are heading in the right direction on that [but] I don’t think it’s true to say that the mindset is cars first, because I think we know that we need to get cars off the road.

“That’s why we’ve got this enormous transport infrastructure investment that’s occurring, including in skyrail. And a lot of that is also about enhancing pedestrian safety, as well.”

Labor candidate Mike Williams came under pressure on Thursday night.

Flammable cladding

An audit last year found that 158 buildings in the city of Merri-bek had dangerous flammable cladding that needs to be removed or rectified. One question from the floor at the forum asked candidates how they would accelerate the program to make these buildings safe.

Dr Read said he was concerned that the government program to remove flammable cladding had run out of money, while Mr Evans said there was a lack of government accountability about the program.

Ms Jimenez said the problem derived from the use of cheap materials by builders and there needed to be a review of the program.

Mr Williams said the job of an active and energetic local member was to advocate for residents and pursue government agencies for answers as to why the cladding removal program was taking so long.

An online forum featuring candidates for the seat of Pascoe Vale will be held at 7pm next Wednesday. Following a redrawing of electoral boundaries, part of Brunswick West now falls into the Pascoe Vale district. The forum is hosted by the Merri-bek Bicycle Users Group and will be chaired by broadcaster and local resident Kulja Coulston. Follow this link to register your attendance.

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