As a matter of urgency I call on the Victorian government to make public its plan and financial commitment for the infrastructure required for the proposed property development in Broadmeadows that looms as the biggest since the days of the housing commission. The proposed redevelopment of the Yakka site could see low-income families in apartment buildings of up to 10 or even 15 storeys. That would make the project the biggest landmark in the area by far. It raises major concerns that the government must answer in the public interest. The concerns include the government’s commitment to provide the necessary social infrastructure so that past failures are not repeated with another generation.

It is vital that the coalition make this commitment immediately, especially after the Minister for Planning recently played Robin Hood in reverse over a government services building and commercial catalyst in Broadmeadows. Having committed to the funding in its first budget, the Baillieu-Ryan regime then perversely declared it would redistribute the $14.7 million from the poorest community to the more prosperous. Only when I highlighted this reverse Robin Hood strategy in the media did the minister recommit the funding to Broadmeadows, but he has still failed to spell out exactly where the money is going. The Broadmeadows community now demands an up-front commitment to this Yakka redevelopment because of its scale and the huge social impact it will have on the community.

That commitment must be made open and transparent because of the issues I have previously raised concerning the favour bank this government has established in connection with the infrastructure commitments that developers make in growth areas, including Broadmeadows, and that are negotiated directly with the Minister for Planning. The community wants this to be made public now.