Democracy is at serious risk.

NATURE & CONSERVATION

By Liz Sanzaro

From 1 January 2023 the former Department known as DELWP, which stood for Department of Environment, Land, water & Planning has now become the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action. So where has Planning gone and why has it been separated from the Environment?

The portfolio of Planning has been given to another minister Sonia Kilkenny working closely with Jacinta Allen, who also just happens to also head up the LXRP. The LXRP, have ultimate power, over land use in Council jurisdictions and including Vic Roads Land which can be acquired if and when needed.

Planning ^ Transport

Can anyone else see a problem here?

Every new station will be promoted to us voters, as an excuse to allow much higher development towers in close proximity to every station, to house the anticipated 20 million Victorians by 2040. Has no one realised that in much of Europe this does not happen, buildings are kept to max 4 stories which allows retention of human scale, and people seem to find places to live without subscribing to towers of concrete and glass.

Developers must be rubbing their hands in glee, at the thought of all this opportunity to create mini cities, at all new Stations, hopefully not copies of Box Hill. We cannot sit by idly in the face of such obvious catastrophic weather events and pave more of our treed paradise, to build more monstrosities in overshadowing tall satellite cities.

This urban renewal in the form of highrise housing to home our expected 20 million Melbournians flies in the face of the United Nations IPP 2022 Impacts, Adaption and Vulnerability. They made a statement regarding climate change, that “every person should have the right to live in a healthy environment”. Instead, these new hubs are destined to become huge heat sinks, made of hard materials that absorb heat, and keep it hot all night. The antithesis of the direction we need to be taking. Will the newly formed Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action have to negotiate with Planning and Transport ministries? Who will win?

The story by Mark Santomartino of Channel 9, highlighted the lack of easy dialogue between all stakeholders, with the LXRP. The incident could have been perceived as bullying as it was suggested quite forcefully that the shop owner should take down the sign. The story went to air on 9 news TV on Thursday 16th February. When asked, David Southwick from the opposition said the individual from LXRP should be stood down pending an investigation.

The traders in Surrey Hills and Mont Albert, who used to rely on passing foot traffic by commuters, to get their daily needs provided, will lose much of passing trade which could mean the end for them in business local shopping strips that are at the heart of a community. If you want to support them you can do so by scanning the QR code on the notice below, or visit Eastsider news.

We need to be actively noisy, if we want our voices to mean anything, otherwise we may lose our right to a meaningful democracy.

Buildings radiate out their stored heat overnight, preventing cooling, that happens here where there is vegetation. Excessive power is required to run air conditioning for residents in these towers, again this is not the direction required to reduce our dependence on power.

There is an element of usurped authority displayed by these Big Build Projects, that is displayed by some of the staff. Just recently an LXRP communications manager took issue with a shopkeeper who displayed a sign in their window in Union Rd Surrey Hills, saying that the Residents and Retailers Association is not happy with the LXRP. The communications manager suggested the sign be removed and that it would lose them business. He went on to basically say that 200 workers on the line, would not “feel comfortable” buying fish and chips from this store, he remained in the store for quite a while hoping to see the sign removed.

The sign is sourced from Eastsider news

Will our right to free speech and input to where and how we live be usurped? It requires dialogue for a Democracy to fulfill its obligations to voters.

President of Croydon Conservation Society

On a very hot Wednesday in February 1983, 19-year-old Don Garlick had finished work for the day in Heatherdale, and as he was getting into his car he glanced up at the hills and saw a billow of smoke.

As a volunteer with Lilydale Fire Brigade, Don knew he needed to make his way to the station to find out what was going on. After collecting his gear, Don recalled he was assigned to a tanker (with fellow Lilydale fireys Rick Hauck and Ross Blair) that had recently arrived from Glenburn Fire Brigade.

“We were dispatched to a fire which had broken out in the Warburton area. When we mustered at Millgrove, we were tasked with scouting the fire and checking its path,” Don said.

“Dusk was falling as we arrived in Powelltown, making the fire clearly visible from afar. As we moved closer, it became increasingly obvious there was trouble ahead.

“When we attempted to radio back to Millgrove crews, there was no response as we were out of radio range.”

The crew turned around to travel back within range, stopping on the way to put out spot fires.

“I remember being on the back of the truck operating the pump, while Rick and