Saturday: AGM Protectors of Public Lands - Speaker Kelvin Thomson

Guest Speaker: The Hon. Kelvin Thomson MP, Federal Member for Wills,  has been invited to speak. He is President of Victoria First Inc., an organisation dedicated to working for a sustainable population for Victoria. He will speak on the subject of population - "Intergenerational Equity - how we are failing future generations" .(Kelvin continually raises Victorian issues of importance e.g. the EW Link in Federal Parliament.)

Thanks for the Helping Win the EW Link Battle: We will put a special resolution of thanks to community groups instrumental in winning the EW Link battle. Also to the Andrews Government for finally terminating the monster project. We are committed to see it does not rise from the dead. Keep an eye out for Alan Tunge MP Federal Member for Aston and his fellow zombies whose campaign slogan is "Just Build It" ("It" being the EW Link.)

1. Royal Park and the East West Link.  PPL VIC plus other groups is making application to Heritage Victoria to have exemptions for the East West Link removed from the listing of Royal Park on the State Heritage Register. The Minister was requested to support our application. 
2. Sports Grounds Development in Parks Facilitated by East West Link. Funds of $13.2 million were paid to the City of Melbourne under a “memorandum of understanding” for sports development on Princes Park - southern sports ground - and Royal Park - the Flemington Road sports ground plus other grounds - by Linking Melbourne Authority (now defunct) by way of compensation for the anticipated loss of the Ross Straw Field West Royal Park (now not happening) by the roadways of the East West Link project (now cancelled.)  PPL VIC is asking the CoM questions about these sports developments on parklands including the monstrous light towers on the sports fields. Why is the State Government not asking questions? Winding  up the EW Link is a State Government responsibility. 
3. Alienation and Destruction of Heritage Gardens by Sports Events and Trade Fairs: Examples include the Catani Gardens in St Kilda which has had 3 events in March including the massive Iron Man Event. These events took over the public gardens and nearby roads for the whole month. Major roads were closed during these events. The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show takes over the Carlton Gardens for weeks and is responsible to damaging the south gardens which has lost many heritage trees.  The Minister was requested to enquire into system of exemptions used by Heritage Victoria to allow these events and to ban such events in heritage listed gardens   PPL VIC presented him  with a series of photos as evidence of damage being done to public parks and gardens. .
4. Ruin of Royal Parade with Installation of Doyle's Dunny. This is not on 2012 Master Plan for Princes Park and is as a result of an arbitrary decision by Council staff. The Minister was requested to intervene.
5. Protection of War Memorials from Overdevelopment e.g. Rogers Memorial Reserve on Pascoe Vale  PPL VIC will appear before the Heritage Council objecting to a Community and Medical Centre being built by Moreland Council on Rogers Memorial Reserve Pascoe Vale. This will destroy the War Memorial, its Reserve and The Lone Pine plus olive trees planted by returned servicemen and in memory of the fallen. The Minister was asked to institute a review to protect this and all war memorials throughout Victoria. 
6. City of Moreland Planning. We presented the real story behind the residential zones decisions in Moreland and the preferential treatment given by the previous Government to some suburbs. 
7. Yarra River Protection. We provided a comment for the Minister and pointed out that we were in the Leader recently in a big front page spread on the Yarra and the threat of private jetties. We commended the Minister on the Government's plans to clean up and protect the Yarra.