Phillip Barresi (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the 10 years that I have been in this parliament, those members who have been here with me would have heard me speak about the infamous Scoresby Freeway on many occasions. The Scoresby Freeway is now known as the EastLink tollway. The spectre of the EastLink tollway emerged again last week. We all know that a home is the most important and valuable asset a person is likely to possess in their lifetime, often working for years to pay it off, raising a family in it and filling it with precious memories. Therefore, a home is a very precious and important asset to all of us but not, it seems, to the Victorian Bracks Labor government.

The sheer arrogance and incompetence of the Bracks government has seen the lives of residents at Hillcrest Avenue in Ringwood turned completely upside down. The construction of the EastLink tollway next to their street has needlessly become a nightmare. Last week, I met with the residents of Hillcrest Avenue, residents who do not oppose the construction of the road itself. On the contrary, they are willing to put up with the noise, the dust, the mud and the disruption to their daily lives that the construction of EastLink has caused.

What these residents are not willing to put up with is the construction of a series of large-scale maintenance buildings directly opposite their homes. These giant sheds have now been labelled the ‘Taj Mahal’ by local residents, and that is exactly what they are—enormous permanent structures that will be used to house heavy equipment. This ‘Taj Mahal’ was constructed without any genuine consultation with residents. They believe they have been misled, and that is why this has turned into such a disaster.

Initially, local residents had been promised that the site would be parkland. They were shown promotional material identifying it this way. Then they were told that this promised parkland would be used to house a shed and that this shed would rise only marginally above the residential fence height and, furthermore, that it would be down the road, not opposite their homes. Even though the local residents would lose their parkland, they accepted this decision. They were keen to work with and not against ConnectEast, the company building the tollway. And how did ConnectEast and the Bracks government respond? They responded with total contempt for the soon to be neighbours. They extended the height of the building to well above fence height and moved its location. In fact, it rises so high as to completely block the views from the local homes of the area around them.

I note in this week’s Maroondah Journal that a Ms Mary Baker, a spokesperson for ConnectEast, claimed that there were once houses on the building site that would have previously blocked views. This is a blatant misstatement of the facts. ConnectEast knows full well that the houses on that site did not rise to the same height as these giant structures.

I feel especially sorry for local residents Alan and Rona Miller, who have lived on Hillcrest Avenue for 58 years. For 58 years they have enjoyed looking out their front window onto the Dandenong Ranges. Now, thanks to ConnectEast and the Bracks government, they feel that they have no choice but to leave their home. After talking to real estate agents, the Millers have been told that their property could be devalued by as much as $60,000. This is a travesty for old people and for young people who have moved into the area to make a home for themselves and their families.

Mr Miller and his elderly wife should not be expected to face a financial blow like this. All of this could have easily been avoided if the Bracks government and ConnectEast had taken the time to sit down with local residents and consult with them in a genuine way. The building site could easily have been excavated. This would have eliminated the need for the concern that we have today. The only practical option now available—because you cannot tear down this ‘Taj Mahal’—is for the Bracks government to enter into serious financial compensation for the residents of Ringwood who are affected.

The failure to consult also raises issues of accountability. Where was SEITA, the Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority, whose role it is to keep the community informed? Where was the community advisory forum and local Maroondah Councillor Tony Dibb, whose job it is to provide feedback and advice to the project team at ConnectEast and to also keep local residents informed? Where were the state Labor members for Mitcham and Bayswater, Tony Robinson and Peter Lockwood, to stand up to Batchelor and Bracks for these residents’ quality of life?

Tony Dibb, SEITA, Robinson and Lockwood have completely failed the people of Hillcrest Avenue. Local residents have been misled, their property values have been slashed and the amenity of their homes has been permanently damaged. I call on Councillor Dibb, as our local member on the community advisory forum, to start taking his job seriously. He is dealing with people’s lives and must now act urgently. (Time expired)