Wonthaggi uncertainty needs to be addressed

ONE of the Bass Coast Shire Councillors asked the Sentinel-Times this week what was actually achieved at last Saturday’s public meeting for residents impacted by the State Government’s planning blunder, aided and abetted by the complete lack of advice and engagement by the local council?

It’s a stupid question, of course.

What that meeting was, is an absolute indictment on the authorities; the Bass Coast Shire Council, the VPA, EPA, State Government Ministers and yes, our local member of parliament Jordan Crugnale, for allowing and continuing to allow the retrospective imposition of a new planning overlay on blocks of land that have long since been titled, sold and in many cases built on five years ago, one of them 20 years ago.

As the former local of member of parliament Alan Brown so eloquently put it, when he spoke to the meeting: “It’s a basic 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.”

Yes, it’s unbelievable that this has happened, and it needs to be shouted from the rooftops that these overlays, on titled and sold land in Wonthaggi, must be removed.

There’s no indication, beyond a desktop study that there’s even any “contamination” in the whole area.

“Shouting it from the rooftops” and detailing the implications for ordinary mum and dad homeowners, who didn’t need this stress, worry and expense is something the council should have done and should be doing now.

But what have we heard from them? What have they been told to say? Nothing!!

The reason people came to that meeting, councillor, is that many of them simply don’t know what else to do until Steve Dimopoulos, the Minister for the Environment (EPA) and Sonya Kilkenny, the

Minister for Planning, come out and do the only decent thing they can do and put them out of their misery.

And do it now… not on May 22 or some other “kick the can down the road” date.

If you can’t see how wrong this is, it doesn’t say much for the rest of the decision-making by these authorities.