Senior planner slams state government over Wedge protection

Preeminent Victorian urban planner, Emeritus Professor Michael Buxton, said the government was "playing politics" with the protection of Green Wedges and agricultural land on Melbourne's outskirts.

"It's a disgraceful situation really, it's one of the worst failures in planning I have witnessed," Professor Buxton, from RMIT University's School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, said.

Government consultation on the Planning for Melbourne's Green Wedges and Agricultural Land project, a key part of Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 - started in 2019, with a second round closing on February 5, 2021.

A report was produced later that year - "they [the government] then sat on the report for more than 12 months".

"Clearly they had no intention of changing anything before the election," Professor Buxton said.

"It was a subterfuge that they held out hope without any intention of implementing the plan."

He predicted increased pressure, in the coming months, from Green Wedge protection groups.

"They are sick of waiting, they have been very patient and supportive of the process, they haven't rocked the boat, but there are a lot of people out there who are becoming seriously disillusioned," he said.

"The long delay seems hard to justify when placed against the government's own stated intentions and timetable but the government may claim other reasons.

"They [the government] were trying to be all things to be all people, to fix up the problems everyone acknowledges are there, but they didn't want to ruffle any feathers," he said.

"Basically, they were playing politics with the Green Wedge, they weren't serious about doing anything."

He said land developers and the tourism sector had a strong influence over the government.

"The tourism sector want a weakening of provisions, not a strengthening them," he said.

"What they want to see retained is the possibility of tourist development, art galleries and commercial development - they see Green Wedge land as a way to make money,"

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Cardinia Victorian Farmers Federation branch president Tony Morgan operates Orchard End Farm, Bayles, and said there was always going to be tension between agriculture and development.

"Locally, we have some of the best agricultural land in the state for producing food, close to Melbourne," Mr Morgan said.

"Developers will always want more land for housing but this shouldn't be at the expense of prime agricultural land, for food production."

He said agricultural production was worth $100's of millions to Cardinia shire, in Melbourne's south-east.

"Things like the Koo-Wee-Rup swamp and Dalmore peat region are too valuable an agricultural resource, to cover in houses," he said.

He said the shire had been receptive to understanding the importance of agriculture to the region.

The Cardinia branch was supportive of the position held by the VFF, which backed the Green Wedge review.

VFF Mornington Peninsula branch president Lisa Brassington said the failure to act on the policy had put investment commitments and confidence on hold.

"The will, passion and need is there, we welcomed planning scheme reform in good faith because we could see it was needed," she said.

"The planning scheme is what enables agriculture to be inclusive, fair and accessible to all farmers, of all ages, stages and wages."

The discussion paper offered hope to farmers and there was no reason to believe the review would be delayed or abandoned..

"It was based on sound academic research from Deakin University and others," she said.

"In the meantime, local governments within peri-urban regions of Melbourne have been trying to get on with better decisions for land use in their regions.

"Agriculture is meant to be the primary, preferred dominant land use in the food production Green Wedge areas, with recreation, commercial or tourism operations excepted to be ancillary or subordinate to that."

Ms Brassington said farmers were constantly challenged by the Planning Minister or the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal who were supporting land use in the Green Wedge area that would otherwise be banned.

"Land use permit conditions don't even support the right-to-farm or the preference for agriculture to be the primary land use," she said.

She said the peri-urban areas of Melbourne had "the right climate, the right soil conditions and weather patterns" and access to trade, labour and markets.

"Our peri-urban areas are worth investing in, and they do have longevity for food production," she said.

Failure to recognise the value of agricultural land on Melbourne's outskirts also meant state and federal government investment and support was not forthcoming.

"They didn't realise, until we had the COVID outbreak, how much agriculture happens within what is termed the metropolitan Melbourne agricultural grid," she said.

"It gets to a tipping point where you can no longer force agriculture out, if you want to feed a growing population."

The government was working to deliver permanent protections for Melbourne's green wedges and agricultural land, a spokeswoman said.