BRUMBY’S BYPASS BUFFER BUNGLE

Local Nationals MPs Russell Northe and Peter Hall denounced the Brumby Government over their continued bungling of the Traralgon bypass issue in Parliament this week.

Last month the State Government officially withdrew their support of the southern-most alignment favoured by the vast majority of the community and instead backed the northern option, route W1C.

Further to this, the State Government has applied a buffer zone 400m to the south and 600m to the north of the proposed W1C route, affecting a significant tract of developed land that encompasses several significant structures including Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH).

“These businesses, along with local developers and Latrobe City council are once again faced with the prospect of an uncertain future,” Morwell MLA Russell Northe told the Legislative Assembly.

To highlight the complete lack of logic and vision shown in the application of the buffers, Member for Eastern Region Peter Hall asked the Planning Minister when his government were planning on demolishing and relocating LRH.

“Minister Madden claimed the no-development buffer zone - which overlays the entire LRH site - would have no impact on the hospital, raising questions about the point of applying such buffers in the first place,” Mr Hall said.

In a gross understatement Minister Madden described Latrobe City Council’s reaction to his government’s decision as “not completely excited”.

Mr Hall said the Minister failed to acknowledge that his government had previously agreed to a southern route in 2004, telling the house nobody could work out where it should be located.

“The Minister has seemingly forgotten that the southern alignment received the blessing of both the DSE and DPI, as well as immense local support in the initial panel review,” Mr Hall continued.

“His response has left no doubt the decision was made purely on the basis of coal and without due consideration for the people of the Latrobe Valley.”

 “This government clearly has no understanding of the direct impact of such decisions on our local community,” Mr Northe said today.

“It is quite apparent that these shots are being called by paper-pushers far removed from the reality of their judgments.

“The ineptitude of the Minister for Planning and the Brumby Government throughout this whole sorry saga has been nothing short of appalling and one can only hope that eventually commonsense will prevail,” Mr Northe told his parliamentary colleagues.

Media contact:                  Peter Hall      (03) 5174 7066   or 0427 747 066