Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (13:43): Eleven months ago I alerted the house to a proposal to develop a huge new quarry on the slopes of Arthurs Seat.
The proposal is to extract 70 million tonnes of granite from this highly visible site, and if the quarry proceeds it will simply create an enormous scar—an enormous pit that will scar the landscape forever.
This is not the first major industrial project we have seen in this green wedge precinct. Some years ago a rubbish tip was proposed. The Liberal-Nationals government of the day rightly rejected the application out of hand.
It was totally inappropriate for this site, and that is exactly what should have happened with this proposal. The Minister for Planning should have recognised the inherent sensitivity of the site and ruled it out immediately.
Instead he sidelined the local council and ordered an environment effects statement to be prepared, but the local community has made its views very clear.
At a packed public meeting, the last one I attended before the lockdown, local residents were absolutely ropeable. And who was there to defend the government’s decision? Absolutely no-one.
The member for Nepean was nowhere to be seen, despite being invited. In fact he has been very, very silent on the issue or ignored the issue not to have heard about it, because the advice was everywhere.
I would say the member for Nepean has a real opportunity here.
He can stand up for the community that elected him, he can keep the commitments he made to get elected, he can take the fight to the Minister for Planning and he can have this grotesque plan rejected once and for all.
His community deserve nothing less than his total support.