Monash, Whitehorse, and Kingston Councils have condemned the Allan Labor Government for its failure to provide any meaningful detail in its latest Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) Key Directions Paper.
Despite plans to significantly increase population densities in precincts along the SRL East route, the Allan Labor Government has not provided any detail on how it will provide the infrastructure and services necessary to manage this growth.
The State Government has also refused to articulate how it will fill the at least $20 billion funding black hole for the first stage, as the Federal Labor Government crab-walks away from the project because it lacks a business case.
In submissions to the Allan Labor Government, the councils described the Key Directions Paper as being full of"vague platitudes" and having a "lack of even basic detail".
Shadow Minister for Transport Infrastructure, David Southwick, said: "Premier Jacinta Allan is pushing ahead with the SRL by shutting out local councils and silencing the local community's voice.
"You can't take planning powers away from councils to increase population densities without saying how you will provide the hospitals, schools, open space and infrastructure these communities will need."
Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury, said: "The Allan Labor Government is overriding communities and their elected Councils, leaving them in the dark in its push to destroy the character and amenity of Melbourne's suburbs.
"Labor is keeping their decisions secret and hiding basic details because they know the community will not accept Labor's plans to build high rise towers along suburban streets."
