The state Opposition says digitisation of the planning process should be considered as a means of bringing some relief to the housing crisis across the Goulburn Valley and the rest of Victoria.
Visting Shepparton to meet business and community leaders to discuss the Coalition’s Making Victoria’s Tax System Work discussion paper, Shadow Treasurer Brad Rowswell acknowledged the housing crisis that sees individuals and families unable to find secure housing, and businesses unable to recruit staff as they struggle to find somewhere to live.
“This is a massive issue and this is something that we did hear last night (Wednesday) as well, not just from the real estate agents, but also from the Committee for Greater Shepparton and the Greater Shepparton Business Network,” he said.
Mr Rowswell said the current planning process was holding up proposed developments and consideration should be given to a digitised process that is being trialled in NSW.
“It demonstrated that it could be done and it could be done well,” he said.
“Instead of sitting on our hands saying, ‘No, all too difficult. No, we haven’t got enough planners. No.’ Let’s crash through that barrier and actually work out what the solution is to the problem, especially if it helps reasonable communities.”
Mr Rowswell also wants the Andrews Government to speak to local communities, such as Greater Shepparton, before allocating funds that had been assigned to hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, given they may wish alternative projects to be funded than what was promised in order to host the Games.
“The communities may no longer need that given the Commonwealth Games aren’t coming,” he said.
“So there should be that transparent, active conversation with communities to say, ‘Okay, there’s this fund here, what do you need?’”
State Member for Northern Victoria, and fellow Liberal, Wendy Lovell, said if the local community was asked, it would say it needed its indoor sports stadium redeveloped.
“Our number one project, of course, and something that I’ve been advocating for probably 10 years now, is the stadium,” Ms Lovell said.
“The roof leaks, we wanted to use it as a relief centre for the floods, and we couldn’t use it because the roof was leaking.”