The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Plan for

Planning

THE LIBERAL NATIONALS COALITION PLANNING VISION FOR VICTORIA Victorians deserve a fair, consistent and transparent planning system that delivers certainty to residents, to councils and to businesses. The Liberal Nationals Coalition has listened to Victorians, especially young families, who are telling us that their dream of home ownership has become a nightmare. We will work to end Melbourne’s ever worsening housing affordability crisis by cutting red tape and increasing land supply in growth areas. We have listened to Victorians who have told us that they want a planning system based on genuine consultation, honesty, openness and certainty. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will actively plan for future growth for Melbourne, and will develop opportunities for new housing in growth areas, activities areas and through-term urban renewal. We will return clarity and certainty to the planning system by introducing mea planning system that clearly define areas of substantial change once and for all, as well as defining areas where the built form of our towns and cities will be preserved. The Liberal Nationals Coalition will establish a mechanism for urban renewal in urban areas that traditionally have an industrial base but can accommodate change, similar to the Docklands, to take the pressure for high density development off many existing suburbs. Importantly, we will recognise the importance of maintaining our urban open space and stop Labor’s sacrifice of urban parks for quick development. One of Victoria’s greatest assets is the built form of our cities and towns. Under a Liberal Nationals Coalition Government, change and growth will be fostered but in a manner that respects that built form and returns fairness and certainty needed to be returned to planning. Ted Baillieu | Leader Matthew Guy Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Shadow Minister for Planning

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LABOR’S FAILINGS Despite promises made in 1999 to bring fairness to the planning system, the Labor Government has brought more pain and division to the community through the planning system than any government in Victorian history. Under Labor Victorians have seen their rights to comment on neighbouring developments threatened, their councils have been bypassed and their planning system designed to work against their local interests. Labor’s one size fits all planning policies have created havoc across vastly different rural and regional communities and seen metropolitan Melbourne viewed as one giant development zone. Business too has seen a government obsessed with growing its own bureaucracy first and cutting planning red tape second, which has seen our planning system become bogged down in delay. Since Labor’s election in 1999 almost two years have been added to the time it takes to turn farmland into homes on the edge of our growing capital city. These delays all add up to pain for those wanting to buy a home. The average house price has now passed $500,000 in Melbourne and land cost alone on the city’s edge is now beyond $200,000, despite ever-shrinking block sizes. Labor’s policy failures are causing these problems. Labor favoured inner urban development one day and proposed the biggest urban expansion the next. Labor claimed to support third party appeal rights one day and proposed their demise the next. Worst of all, Labor claimed to be listening to communities’ concerns through public consultation while all the while pursuing its own agenda, as shown from its proposed sham consultation over the Windsor Hotel redevelopment. After a decade in power Labor is tired and out of touch. Its planning objectives are haphazard, its policy implementation is chaotic and inconsistent and its Minister is incompetent.

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PLANNING REFERRAL AUTHORITIES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Legislate that Development Assessment Committees will be replaced by Planning Referral Authorities (PRAs) which will:

o Be triggered on an opt-in, opt-out basis via a vote of the

relevant municipality; o Be able to apply to any geographic area of any municipality, as

deemed by that municipality; o Be able to form the responsible authority for any application

within a municipality; and o Legislate that the Chair of each five member PRA must come

from a list of names nominated by municipal, local and industry bodies.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition reaffirms that communities, via their local council, should maintain their role as a decision-maker over planning decisions within their municipality. The Liberal Nationals Coalition acknowledges that many metropolitan and regional councils’ planning departments, and councillors themselves, are currently stretched for resources and require direct assistance from the state government. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will give councils assistance to help achieve better local planning outcomes and assist with a better relationship between developers and councils. The Liberal Nationals Coalition’s new PRAs will allow for a more consultative relationship between the state government, developers and local government, and will be funded from within existing resources.

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NATIVE VEGETATION AND NET GAIN REQUIREMENTS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will: For fire retardation purposes

Exempt land from native vegetation rules if it is for a fire break, when approved by the relevant municipality. Land that is within six metres from the edge of a home is also exempt from native vegetation requirements if it is being cleared for fire retardation purposes; and

Exempt land within six metres of a sealed roadside from native

vegetation requirements, when being removed for road safety or firebreak purposes.

For the environment

Retain and expand the Bush Tender program as a way of allowing all Victorians to play a part in retaining native vegetation and tackling the issue of pest weeds in rural Victoria.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT REGISTER A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish an online Infrastructure Development Register of state and local government projects in Victoria to ensure that the private sector can help reduce the infrastructure backlog that has built up under Labor.

The Infrastructure Development Register will be administered by the Department of Planning and Community Development and will feature a central register of infrastructure projects planned and anticipated by all state departments and local governments in Victoria. The register will facilitate contact between private firms and the local government area or state government department listed as the government entity responsible for the project listed. It will enable the private sector to help reduce the infrastructure backlog that has built up under Labor.

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STATE GOVERNMENT LAND AUDIT A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Audit all government-owned land within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to identify sites for future development, such as the VicRoads site in Kew.

The audit will identify what land in the Melbourne metropolitan area and regional cities could be used for future housing supply. HOUSING EFFICIENCES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Work with building associations and relevant stakeholders to assess the most effective way of meeting Victoria’s COAG agreement to support 6 star minimum energy efficiency standards for both new and significantly renovated residential and commercial buildings.

Support the transition of all existing housing stock to meet an

average of 5 star energy rating. As part of our commitment, we will work with building associations and consult with relevant stakeholders to adopt the national code to ensure that all new homes meet higher energy efficiency standards. In addition, this standard will also apply to major renovations or adjustments to existing homes. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will also work towards ensuring that all existing homes meet an average 5 star energy rating, as soon as possible. Meeting this target will require working with the Commonwealth Government to effectively implement in Victoria their energy efficiency initiatives.

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LOCALISED PLANNING STATEMENTS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish localised planning statements for a number of key areas around Victoria.

These new Statements of Planning Policy will apply to: o The Mornington Peninsula; o The Yarra Valley; o The Macedon Ranges; and o The Bellarine Peninsula.

A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government reaffirms its support for the retention of Statement of Planning Policy number 8 that currently exists in the Macedon Ranges but which is being repeatedly undermined by the Labor Government. AN INDEPENDENT, BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION TO LOOK AT PLANNING DECISIONS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish an independent, broad-based anti-corruption Commission for Victoria which will have the power to investigate planning decisions in Victoria.

URBAN RENEWAL FOR MELBOURNE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish a new Urban Renewal Authority to identify inner-urban

areas that may be suitable for large-scale urban renewal, and then manage the transition of these areas to a mostly residential base; and

Audit all government-owned land within the UGB to identify sites

for future development, such as the VicRoads site in Kew.

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Labor’s vision for urban renewal across Melbourne is to adopt a one size fits all metropolitan planning policy. Labor has failed to identify Melbourne’s next Docklands. The Liberal Nationals Coalition will follow an inclusive approach to achieve urban renewal and believes urban change can occur while respecting existing height controls in existing planning schemes. This will also take the pressure for high-density housing off many suburbs. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will establish a new authority to manage the community infrastructure, transport and social requirements of new communities in large urban renewal sites and further, will monitor subdivisional patterns of current urban renewal to allow small and medium sized entrepreneurs the chance to enter these markets. LAND SUPPLY, URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Seek to have 20 to 25 years worth of land supply in growth areas for Melbourne, Geelong and other major regional cities across Victoria;

Conduct a biennial audit of land supply in Melbourne’s and

Geelong’s growth areas to ensure adequate supply exists;

Establish a new structured process for the biennial review of the UGB in growth areas, with clear timeframes and a transparent process;

Work with relevant municipalities for the immediate assessment

of logical inclusions in Melbourne’s UGB to facilitate billions of dollars worth of much-needed development-ready housing projects;

Seek to have the UGB in growth areas identified along existing

and clearly defined natural markers or infrastructure routes where possible, so that it will come to form a defined permanent boundary as exists in European cities; and

Allow local residents in growth areas boundary inclusion areas to

be a part of the UGB review where they can choose to opt out of boundary expansion.

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The Liberal Nationals Coalition will remove the back-door bargaining for UGB expansion and put in place a defined system that ensures adequate land supply for Melbourne, Geelong and major regional cities. The biennial audit will be conducted by the Department of Planning and Community Development and will only recommend UGB expansion if population and housing demand projections determine it necessary. This new structure will give certainty in long-term planning, in both services and infrastructure for communities, councils and the development industry. The consideration of these developments will allow councils to plan ahead for their submissions to the biennial UGB review. A NEW HOUSING AFFORDABILITY UNIT A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish a new Housing Affordability Unit within the Department of Planning and Community Development to provide a whole-of-government overview to the Planning Minister about state and local government policies, legislation or procedures that could be reformed to help improve housing affordability.

The Labor Government removed housing affordability output measures in the 2010/11 State Budget, further highlighting Labor’s refusal to combat this crisis. MINISTERIAL INTERVENTION A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Require that the annual statement to Parliament on the use of ministerial intervention contains a list of all external lobbyists who have held meetings with the Minister, the Minister’s staff or the Department of Planning regarding projects that have been called in by the Minister;

Establish guidelines for the use of intervention on the basis of

state significance;

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Require that the annual statement to Parliament on the use of ministerial intervention also contains the number of planning scheme amendments rejected by the Minister;

Require that the annual statement to Parliament on the use of

ministerial intervention also contains approvals facilitated by the Minister’s department; and

Require that the annual statement to Parliament on the use of

ministerial intervention also contains any transfer of responsible authority status.

A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will support the Minister’s right to retain the use of intervention powers as contained in the Planning and Environment Act. However, it will establish strict guidelines to increase the oversight of the use of intervention powers. A NEW 48-HOUR RULE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Require the Minister to give 48 hours notice to any council where the Minister is calling in a development application so that representations to outline municipal concerns can be made.

The 48-hour notice will only apply to business days and will allow the council which is having its approval powers removed by Ministerial call-in to have the ability to provide direct input to the Minister on its views or concerns with the project.

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PLANNING FOR MELBOURNE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Build a new outcomes-based metropolitan planning strategy for Melbourne based on the following ten principles:

1. Honest and genuine community engagement and

consultation 2. Restoring integrity, transparency and certainty to the

planning system 3. The sustainable growth of Melbourne 4. Respecting and preserving urban character 5. Clearly identifying areas for urban renewal and future

development zones 6. Integrating and optimising existing and future infrastructure

and service provision 7. Clarifying where urban densification in clearly identified

areas can occur 8. Ensuring the social, economic and environmental well-

being of the community is preserved and promoted through the planning system

9. Protecting existing parks and open space from development

10. Aiding housing affordability.

Require all councils to have a sustainability provision in their Municipal Strategic Statement within the first term of a Liberal Nationals Coalition Government.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition acknowledges that councils and planning and development communities want policy certainty. The community also wants an end to the political haggling that has surrounded planning decisions since the inception of Melbourne 2030. Labor’s Melbourne 2030 – its one size fits all metropolitan planning policy – has failed. It has failed to achieve its targets, it has divided communities and it has seen a wrecking ball approach to planning become the dominant culture within government.

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The Liberal Nationals Coalition will seek to implement a new outcomes-based metropolitan planning strategy for Melbourne that is based on meaningful community and industry dialogue and takes into account the provision of services and infrastructure. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will conduct a two-year consultation program to seek the best model of metropolitan planning for Melbourne. The Liberal Nationals Coalition will work towards establishing a metropolitan planning strategy that gives certainty to all stakeholders through clearly identified areas for development and urban change and clearly identified areas of urban preservation. Victorians must be fully aware of what capacity exists at a local level for sustainable development and to protect liveability. METROPOLITAN PLANNING FOR ALL OF MELBOURNE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Abolish Labor’s bureaucratic Growth Areas Authority and the wasteful Development Facilitation Unit to create a new Urban Planning Unit (UPU) that is committed to managing population growth, improving operational and regulatory processes and identifying areas of planning delay in local and state government.

The UPU will assume responsibility for all of the functions of the Growth Areas Authority as well as the Development Facilitation Unit, and will have jurisdiction that extends to all metropolitan municipalities, not just growth areas. The UPU will be dedicated to:

o Managing population growth across the metropolitan area through the development of new communities and the reinvigoration of existing communities;

o Improving operational, regulatory and government planning

processes to assist with the efficient management of planning applications right across Melbourne; and

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o Working with the development industry, communities and Councils to ensure that planning applications are not unnecessarily delayed.

Above all, the UPU will be designed to reduce the burden of planning regulation by being charged with the responsibility to identify areas of delay. ACTIVITIES AREAS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Require all councils with Central, Principal or Major Activities Areas to have their boundaries fully defined within the first three years to provide certainty on exactly where large-scale urban change will occur;

Trial the practice of code assessment in activities areas to give

greater clarity as to what can be built and where and to improve regulatory delay; and

Require all councils, in cooperation with the State Government, to develop new population strategies for all Central, Principal or Major Activities Areas which determine:

o Service requirements to accommodate population growth o Infrastructure requirements (such as rail or tram services)

which are necessary to absorb population growth in each activities area

o Sustainability and open space provisions for population growth in each activities area.

Remove from the State Planning Policy Framework the Labor

Government’s VC71, clause 16 amendments which allow for high rise, high density development along every tram, train, bus or light rail corridor.

Labor is adding tens of thousands of people to Melbourne’s activities areas with almost no corresponding strategies on how to manage such population change. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will put in place defined boundaries for activities areas so that all communities know if built form change is to occur, where it will happen and how it will be catered for.

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The setting up of clear boundaries will ensure that these areas do not impact on open space and give long-term protection to existing residential neighbourhoods that fall outside activities areas, so that clear development ‘green areas’ and no-development ‘red areas’ are established. The Liberal Nationals Coalition will provide greater clarity through a new focus on code assessment in planning, where councils develop clear policy on what forms of structures can be built in defined areas. The Liberal Nationals Coalition’s code assessment plans for defined activities areas will allow 3D planning for metropolitan Melbourne, similar to that which is currently operating in the City of Melbourne, providing full knowledge of permits around all sites, shadowing, current overlays and allowing all plans to be viewed in context with their neighbouring environment. A Liberal Nationals Coalition will trial this practice in Broadmeadows and Dandenong. REVIEW OF ZONE USAGES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Conduct a full review of Victoria’s planning zones to ensure they are functioning correctly and their schedules are still relevant.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition will review planning zones to ensure that their uses and definitions are still relevant and enable councils to provide an adequate reflection of the planning aspirations of all Victorians. GREEN WEDGES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Conduct an audit of Green Wedge land use with input from local councils and communities, to determine whether the current land use schedules in each municipality are the most appropriate for Green Wedge land; and

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Allow ministerial discretion to permit any government, Catholic or non government school to build and operate an educational facility within land zoned as Green Wedge.

Possible land use considerations may include allowing religious facilities, eco-hostels or wineries on land that is smaller than the current minimum lot size required, seeking to use our Green Wedges as space for the education, health and wellness of our community whilst preserving the character of Green Wedge land. FARM ZONES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Allow regional councils the flexibility to alter land use within

farming zones to protect prime farmland for agriculture while respecting the rights of landholders.

Under a Liberal Nationals Coalition Government local councils will be given the flexibility to review the operation of their farm zones and in particular whether the 40-hectare minimum subdivision rule is appropriate across all non-township areas of their municipality. As part of an overhaul of Victoria’s planning system, regional councils will be allowed to examine and alter land use within farming zones. Councils should have the ability to deliver a zone that best suits their municipality’s current and future requirements. The Liberal Nationals Coalition fully supports the need to protect Victoria’s prime agricultural land for agricultural purposes, but simply changing the name from rural zones to farm zones has not protected agricultural land as was originally intended. Farm zones should achieve the right balance of farmers’ rights and land protection to ensure that all premium farming land is identified and protected. The key to any reform of Victoria’s farm zones is achieving the right balance between the need to preserve good-quality agricultural land and respecting the reasonable rights of landholders.

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The Liberal Nationals Coalition does not endorse Labor’s inflexible one size fits all 40 hectare approach, and will instead give councils the right to set a planning scheme that suits their own municipality’s character while ensuring that the right to farm is retained where appropriate. The Regional Planning Plan also includes increasing flexibility and housing choice on the outskirts of our cities and towns – especially regional cities – by introducing a new Urban Interface Zone. A NEW URBAN INTERFACE ZONE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Increase flexibility and housing choice on the outskirts of our cities and towns – particularly regional cities – by introducing a new Urban Interface Zone (UIZ).

This new zone will allow councils to establish a lower density residential buffer between farming zones and residential zoning and will encourage a diversity of development on the edges of our cities and towns. The new UIZ will allow for housing on a minimum lot size of 2 hectares and will be determined by local government.

WORKING WITH INTERFACE AND PERI-URBAN COUNCILS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Examine the ability for interface councils to split their municipality into urban and rural areas for state government funding purposes.

Establish a new Peri-Urban Council Unit of the Department of

Planning and Community Development, designed to act as the first port of call for peri-urban councils and assist them with:

o Long-term strategic planning and long-term structure

planning of towns and future communities; o

Long-term population management; and

o Environmental and biodiversity issues being faced in long-term planning.

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Any such examination, of the ability of councils in interface (rural/urban fringe or “peri-urban”) areas to split their municipalities into urban and rural for state government funding purposes would include consideration of the needs of Victoria’s 48 regional and rural councils and would ensure that they would not be any worse off under such flexible arrangements. METROPOLITAN LIVEABILITY AUDIT A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Conduct a whole-of-government audit for the Melbourne metropolitan area, consisting of:

o Gathering data on all metropolitan municipalities’ realistic

population growth possibilities; o Auditing the full capacity of Melbourne rail, tram, bus and

r oad networks;

o Auditing the use of existing and any future bikeways for Melbourne;

o Auditing the full capacity of Melbourne’s water, sewerage,

gas and electricity systems;

o Assessing climatic conditions as well as current and forecast water use and predictions to ascertain Melbourne’s water usage targets and needs;

o Auditing the presence or absence of community facilities in

all suburbs across Melbourne; and

o Ascertaining the ICT capacity of all of Melbourne’s suburbs. This audit will be about finding the gaps in physical and community infrastructure across Melbourne.

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POPULATION PLANNING FOR ALL OF VICTORIA A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Develop a population strategy for all of Victoria, not just for Melbourne; and

Conduct an investigation of new population corridors in regional

and peri-urban municipalities. A Liberal Nationals Coalition does not want to see Victoria become a city state solely focused on Melbourne. Population corridors and extension of existing infrastructure in regional cities will be considered in a statewide approach to managing Victoria’s population growth for the long-term. With the Labor Government heavily focused on growing Melbourne, these population corridors will be aimed at optimising existing infrastructure for population growth. The Liberal Nationals Coalition recognises that regional city growth has not matched that of Melbourne during the Labor Government’s tenure and will focus on taking the population pressure off Melbourne and encouraging growth in our regional cities. Further, the Liberal Nationals Coalition reaffirms its strong support for immigration to Victoria as a key component of our state population growth. COASTAL STRATEGY A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Support detailed coastal mapping of our coastline in preparation for storm surges and probable sea level rise; and

Respect existing land rights for owners of private coastal land and

where a local permit is granted ensure that sustainable private development can occur, but at private risk.

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The Liberal Nationals Coalition believes that all Victorians should be prepared for the impacts of climate change on land in our coastal regions. Labor’s planning policies have hurt hard working Victorians along the Victorian coast from Portland to Ninety Mile Beach and Gippsland. If people have an existing permit and comply with all local requirements, they should be able to build upon their land at their own risk. WIND FARMS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Restore fairness and certainty to the planning system for wind farms and will ensure:

o That the placement of turbines will be no less than two kilometres from the nearest home unless a contract between the resident and wind farm developer is agreed;

o The reinstatement of local government as the planning

authority for wind farm applications; o The establishment of a shared payment system for

landowners whose properties are within one kilometre of the nearest turbine, as a compensation mechanism for adjacent landholders;

o The establishment of ‘no-go’ zones for wind farms at places

such as Wilson’s Promontory, the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas, Surf Coast and Great Ocean Road regions, McHarg and Macedon Ranges, Dandenong and Yarra Ranges and sections of the Bass Coast;

o The exclusion of wind farms in or near national and state

parks, designated tourist areas and designated regional population growth corridors; and

o The public availability of all data on the energy output of

wind farms.

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It is time to give local communities the key role in deciding where wind farms will go and restore fairness and certainty to the planning process for wind farms. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will also establish new guidelines relating to the construction and operation of wind energy facilities to monitor noise and strobe lighting impacts on nearby residents, as well as shadow flicker and bird kills at wind farm sites. The Liberal Nationals Coalition supports the development of the renewable energy sector as an important contributor to the sustainable delivery of Victoria’s future energy needs. The Liberal Nationals Coalition wind energy plan will provide certainty to operators and communities. It will minimise the effect of wind farms on our natural environment and ensure that our coastal landscapes are protected. CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Remove the power of Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) to override planning decisions of local councils and ensure that they act only as a referral authority rather than de facto responsible planning authorities.

PACKAGED LIQUOR LICENCES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Remove the current planning exemption for new packaged liquor outlets.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition will legislate to guarantee communities a say about packaged liquor sales in their local area by ending the exemption of bottle shops from the planning process.

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Under the Liberal Nationals Coalition’s plan, new bottle shops will be required to justify their presence in the community in the same way as other licensed premises. The Liberal Nationals Coalition’s plan follows cases where bottle shops have been allowed to set up in inappropriate locations, including an example in Preston where a massive liquor warehouse was allowed to open 200 metres from a Salvation Army rehabilitation centre for recovering alcoholics, despite the protests of local police and Darebin Council. Labor has failed to implement a recommendation from its own Liquor Control Advisory Council, which told the government in March 2008 that the planning exemption for bottle shops should be scrapped. HERITAGE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Require all councils to complete a Municipal Heritage Strategy to record the built and landscape environment of each municipality, adding another level of protection for communities, better protecting areas and buildings from significant change and complementing existing strict heritage protections;

Require all heritage registrations to be based on processes that

are open and transparent, and which are fair to all parties;

Conduct a full audit of the future maintenance and improvement requirements of all government-owned heritage properties to ascertain the investment needed to guarantee their future upkeep; and

Require all municipalities to notify all impacted residents from the

placing of any heritage overlay no less than 28 days prior to the adoption of the placement of the overlay in writing.

Within this new 28-day minimum period, a property owner must have sufficient ability to provide feedback to the council about their views on the overlay and the impact, if any, on their property.

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PROTECTING PUBLIC LAND A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish a state register of significant public land as a form of further protection from future governments selling such land off in secret and a way of protecting open space as population grows.

The register would help ensure that future governments would not be able to repeat the scandalous backdoor processes behind the sell-off of public land as occurred at Kew Cottages during Labor’s time in office. TRANSPARENCY IN PUBLIC LAND SALES A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Increase the transparency of any public land sale by setting up an open and public process where the relevant minister must set out before Parliament the reason for the sale of the land before its disposal.

ASSESSING FUTURE PUBLIC PARKLAND NEEDS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Assess all public parkland and open space requirements across Melbourne to ensure that as the city grows, adequate open space and parkland exists for public use.

The Liberal Nationals Coalition’s record on new urban parkland is exceptional, with large swathes of parkland established under former Premiers Hamer and Kennett. The previous government established one of the largest urban parklands in Australian history in its commissioning of Birrarung Marr. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will use opportunities created through urban renewal to examine the possibility of adding to Melbourne’s public parklands. Opportunities exist in E-Gate to extend the Moonee Ponds Creek parklands and potential exists with remnant lands from roads and other transport developments to establish new parklands throughout the metropolitan area.

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VCAT A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Legislate to limit access to VCAT for the review of determinations for projects which are deemed to comply substantially with the relevant Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS);

Require councils to advise a council view on the degree of MSS

compliance, with their determinations;

Provide for VCAT to determine whether an application for review qualifies on the grounds of substantial compliance; and

Publish clear and transparent guidelines on the determination of

substantial compliance. The Liberal Nationals Coalition wants to ensure that VCAT is used for its original purpose – as an independent arbiter, not a de facto responsible authority. While much of this will depend on the establishment of a new metropolitan planning scheme for Melbourne, the operation of VCAT can be improved. GROWTH AREAS INFRASTRUCTURE CHARGE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Move to amend or repeal Labor’s Growth Areas Infrastructure Charge (GAIC) legislation to enable a model payable 100 per cent at the Statement of Compliance stage;

Remove the requirement for non-government schools to pay GAIC

on land they currently own in growth areas; and Examine the removal of GAIC on land that is zoned commercial or

industrial, thus removing a tax on employment land. The Liberal Nationals Coalition believes that GAIC should be paid only by those who choose to develop the land and therefore 100 per cent of it should be paid at the time of Statement of Compliance.

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The Liberal Nationals Coalition also believes that developers of land to be used for employment should not be penalised with GAIC. The decentralising of jobs to outer urban areas is of major long-term importance to Melbourne and thus should not be discouraged. CENTRAL CITY PLANNING AUTHORITY A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Support the development of a central planning body to become the responsible planning authority for all developments within the City of Melbourne that exceed 25,000 square metres.

DOCKLANDS A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Work in partnership with the City of Melbourne towards the establishment of a new football oval and associated sporting facilities such as netball and basketball in the Docklands precinct; and

Set aside land in the Docklands precinct for a dedicated place of

worship. The Liberal Nationals Coalition will work to improve community assets in Docklands and start delivering some of the community infrastructure that has been promised, but not delivered, over the past ten years of Labor.

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URBAN DESIGN A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish a new Urban Design Panel, chaired by the Victorian Government Architect to oversee design competitions for government-funded public infrastructure and community projects;

Restore independence, authority, independent funding and a fixed

four year tenure to the office of the Victorian Government Architect to give Victoria an architectural guardian over the built form of our state.

Whether it is a bus shelter or a new hospital, the Liberal Nationals Coalition believes good design is essential to preserving and enhancing Melbourne. A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will establish an Urban Design Panel to oversee all State Government work. The Panel will also manage design competitions for selected State Government work to enable a new quality of design in public and community infrastructure. CERTAINTY FOR STRATA TITLE A Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will:

Establish a Strata Title Improvement Unit within the Department of Infrastructure.

The unit will work with relevant industry groups to develop strategies to assist bodies corporate to maximise the potential of their properties and to deal with significant maintenance issues. It will also encourage local governments, real Estate agents, property managers and bodies corporate to develop improvement plans. The unit will promote examples of successful improvements, and develop best practice material for, and provide advice to bodies corporate.

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The maintenance and continuing improvement of these properties is dependent on active, well managed and resourced bodies corporate, reflecting reasonable co-operation among joint owners. Some properties have not had the benefit of an effective body corporate and have declined in maintenance, presentation and value. Title-holders aspiring to improve such properties face an uphill battle to win support from indifferent owners or managers. Serious issues such as structural concrete failure, roofing or drainage damage, services replacement or upgrades can cripple bodies corporate. Neighbourhood character is often adversely affected by these properties. Opportunities to upgrade properties and neighbourhoods are frequently overlooked. Ultimate responsibility for these upgrades must remain with the property owners but governments, both state and local, can take a leadership role in identifying opportunities and supporting and advising bodies corporate. TOTAL COSTINGS: Recurrent Cost Policy GAIC

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Total

Recurrent Cost $4.9m $9.8m $9.8m $5.4m $1.1m $31.0m

Total $4.9m $9.8m $9.8m $5.4m $1.1m $31.0m

Authorised by Tony Nutt, 104 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.