THE community pushback on the State Government's disastrous planning blunder in Wonthaggi's north east development precinct has begun.
On Saturday afternoon, May 11, 200 people turned out at a public meeting in the town's Wishart Reserve and resolved not to rest until the government had rescinded its controversial Environmental Audit Overlays, especially where it has been applied retrospectively to established homes and residential blocks.
And it is a fight, according to the main speaker on the day, Allan Brown, that the affected community members can win, mainly due to the ultra-marginal status of the local state electorate of Bass.
"As I look around here today, I see a lot of familiar faces, but I also see a lot of unfamiliar faces," Mr Brown said when opening the meeting.
"So, I'll introduce myself and give you some background, so you’ll know why I've been asked to come today. I was born in this town 78 years ago. My grandfather came to town when it was founded in 1910 and worked with a timber merchant for three years delivering timber when they built the post office over there, the mine manager’s house up there, the hospital, miners cottages and all of mine buildings.
My grandfather then went and worked in the mines here in Wonthaggi. My father worked 43 years underground in the mines here in Wonthaggi. As I said, I was born here, educated here, went to that school,” he said indicating the old McBride Campus across the road from Wishart Reserve.
“At a very young age I entered public life. I formed, when I was 18 years of age, a group of young people like myself at that time into a car club. We'd have outings on a Sunday, and as a result of that, I was approached by the police here would I join the police and citizens community organization to represent the police to young people in the community.
“So, at the age of 18, I did join that committee. I was the only youth representative. We did such things as organize the police and citizens dance on Saturday night in the town hall behind me here. This is 60 years ago.
“I was then hit up when I was in my early 20s to stand for Council, which I did. And I entered local government here 54 years ago, and 50 years ago this year, I was elected mayor. So, you can tell by my age now that's a while ago.
“I was the youngest mayor and councillor ever here and still that record stands half a century later. Following that I entered state government and I was in state government here in Victoria for nearly 19 years. I led the Liberal Party at the end of the Cain and Kirner era. And following that, I took a diplomatic post and I was in London for three years on trade and commerce for this part of the world.
“So, I have a pretty extensive background covering local governments. I've been there and done that. Covering state government, I've been there and done that. My background is the building trade and the building trades have been very adversely affected by this announcement.
“And I actually do some property development myself, but I’ll put it on the record, I have no land ownership in the part of the world that is affected here in Wonthaggi. I have no skin in the game. I have not done any development in that area. I'm here to support the people that have been so adversely and so unfairly affected.
“Now I can tell you from my experience, that what has happened here is unprecedented. It's a tenant of government, you only legislate or regulate retrospectively on the most important public issues like immigration, maybe sex offenders, things like that, you'll turn the clock back.
“In my 60 years of public life, I've never seen an issue that equates to this one that’s hit these people in North Wonthaggi. To me it is unbelievable. When I took the phone call two weeks ago, I was coming back from Melbourne in my car, and I said to the guy who phoned me, you won't have it right. It will be from when they announced it forward. He said Alan, I'm telling you, it goes back five years and the house I've built there has a blight on the title. And to add insult to injury,. I wasn't even informed. They just put it on a government website.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it's not only unbelievable, it's unacceptable. Now, I've been around long enough to tell you this, this is a fight this community, without question, can win because there's no justification.
“The seat of Bass, this local seat is the most marginal seat in Victoria. Having led the Liberal Party here, over 30 years ago, I can tell you how governments think, they're thinking of the next state election. They want to win it and they want to be returned. This seat is held by 202 votes. How do I know that? My youngest son was the Liberal candidate here 18 months ago. He lost by 202 votes. The government will want to keep this seat and they’ve burnt their own colleague and local member with this unbelievable decision they've taken and I'm sure we can win and have them overturn it.
I say that unequivocally. But they need to get a message loud and clear. We won't lie down unless and until it is overturned.
“I had a couple come to my farm last Sunday and both ended up in tears telling me how it's destroying their life, how it's affecting them, how it's affecting their mental health. They're not sleeping and no, this is not right, this is not Australian. They talk about the pub test. This not only doesn't pass a pub test, it doesn't pass any element of the way governments normally operate.
“If you announce something from that day forward, it’s a different issue. In this case, the developers then have the opportunity, and they will have the responsibility to do the assessments themselves and to add insult to injury, one developer has done that, in November. In Northern Views Estate, the firm that’s done that development had the rest of their land surveyed for the assessment, holes drilled, land dug, full assessment, and the outcome, zero pollution, nothing on about 80 acres.
“So, if you think that through, it's unlikely there's pollution on your land, but it's got a blight on it now on the title.
“I've been approached by local solicitors who've told me people want to withdraw from contracts. I've been approached by local builders who've told me people want to back out of their contract. They don't want a house in Wonthaggi now on that land. It's affecting so many people, and it's wrong.
“So, today is about getting an outcome that gets the government to say, we have made a massive blunder, they made a mistake, and we want them to do one thing and that's rescind it, withdraw it and let people get on with their lives. And I'm talking about the retrospective element of it.”
The meeting then passed a motion to that effect and elected a committee to follow it through, including: John Duscher, Allan Brown, Pru Scholtes and Helen Povall. And they plan to launch a new members’ only Facebook page to keep residents and property owners informed.
