Demand for responsible growth brings locals together for community meeting

Fawkner Residents Association (FRA) spokesperson Mr Joe Perri said the group will be supporting a community meeting for municipality residents demanding an opportunity to articulate their concerns as well as calling for urgent changes to the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 that the State Government is attempting to push through Parliament before Christmas.

The Future of Victoria Meeting has been organised by the Coburg Community Action Group (CCAG) and invitations sent to government and opposition MPs, Councillors and community leaders.  The meeting will be held this coming Sunday and details are as follows - Sunday December 7 at 11am, Anderson Reserve, Linda Street Coburg

In an extensive awareness campaign, CCAG has called on the community to contact all their political representatives and express their concerns with the proposed legislation - especially Upper House Independents and Green Party MPs calling on them to vote against the Bill and not abstain in order to ensure it's not passed in its current format. 

Speaking on behalf of CCAG, Ms Maureen McCunnie said "While we strongly support increased housing and affirm that every Victorian has the right to a safe and secure dwelling, this Bill undermines fundamental democratic principles and erodes the rights of property owners, communities, and conservation organisations across Melbourne".

Why This Bill Must Be Opposed 

- Ministerial Overreach: The Attorney General and Minister for Planning are acting as law maker, planner, applicant, and decision maker simultaneously. This collapse of checks and balances denies natural justice.

- Infrastructure and Emergency Services Ignored: No evidence has been provided of infrastructure upgrades or improvements to emergency services to address, for example, Merri-bek's lagging response times compared with Greater Melbourne.

- Opaque Process: Local government bodies, including the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), have raised concerns about insufficient consultation before the Bill's introduction.

- Covenants at Risk: No written assurance exists that Covenants and Heritage Overlays will be respected, leaving culturally significant areas vulnerable.  Owners must prove relevance, effectively transferring land title protections from residents to developers.

Broader Implications

This Bill is unjust and counterproductive in a democracy already showing signs of societal erosion.  It prioritises developer interests over community safety, social housing, restrictive covenant property rights, heritage and fairness. Even if appeals are permitted, planning policy favouring higher density housing will predetermine outcomes, rendering community voices powerless.

In letters to various Ministers, MPs and Community organisations, CCAG has urged them:

- Publicly oppose the Bill and highlight its democratic failings.

- Raise parliamentary questions demanding transparency on emergency service capacity, protection of covenants, and consultation processes.

- Defend community rights by insisting on fair, transparent, and consultative planning reforms.

- To increase infrastructure

Maureen McCunnie concluded, "Victorians deserve equitable housing solutions that include more social housing, safe, and respectful of heritage and private property rights — not reforms that strip away rights and concentrate unchecked power.  We're asking residents to attend the meeting and stand with us in defending democratic governance and social fairness".

Notes to the editor: Coburg Community Action Group spokesperson Ms Maureen McCunnie can be contacted on M: 0416034025