Only 3 councillors (Zyngier, Szmood, & Pennicuik), refused the MRC application for work on the Caulfield Racecourse. This continues the sad history of this council in repeatedly caving in to whatever the Melbourne Racing Club and its political backers want. Whilst the vote last night would in all probability not have changed anything, except as public ‘protest’ vote, at the very least it would send a message to Wynne and the racing industry that councils and the community must be considered first and foremost. Sadly, the majority of councillors decided to grant a permit.
As some of the above councillors stated, this whole issue was gazetted and hence made public, on Christmas Eve 2021. There had been no warning, no consultation with the community or council, and most of the relevant documents still remain hidden from public view. In the meantime, bulldozers and chain saws have been very active in destroying countless trees. This has only been temporarily halted via the imposed interim Heritage Council’s order. There is no guarantee that this order will remain and prevent further destruction. In the meantime we are seeing planning applications like last night’s one basically continuing along its merry way of turning the racecourse into the MRC vision that will include:
- Night racing
- Another inside track
- Massive light towers to accommodate night racing
- The removal of the second lake
- Synthetic grass surfaces over much of the inside tracks
- Plus the recent announcement that the racecourse will be closed for ONE YEAR to allow these works to be carried out.
There are quite a few governance and transparency issues at play here that say a lot about the MRC, Wynne, and also council. Whilst the MRC is legally entitled to approach the Minister directly, and the Minister also has the legal power to ‘adjudicate’ on such applications, we have to condemn the timing, and the secrecy that has taken place. As far as council goes, we believe they also have to be held to account in this whole dismal affair. Here is why –
- Why did it take residents to initiate the heritage order instead of council?
- Has council even written to the Minister outlining their concerns? If so, why isn’t this missive public?
- Why, when council voted to pay over $200,000 to sit in on the trustees for the Land Management Plan, did we get the plan we did? What was council’s contribution? Where was there any specific report back to the community on council’s involvement?
- Why, when Cr Zyngier last night asked how the application was in accord with Council’s various environmental policies, he was told that the report did exist but wasn’t included in the agenda papers. So once again we are in the situation where councillors are supposed to vote on an important issue, but the information facilitating informed decision making has been with-held. In a follow up question by Cr Zmood asking whether this report will be made public, Torres took the question on notice and said he would have to confirm this. Simply not good enough and not the first time this has happened. The current VCAT hearing on 10-16 Selwyn Street, also did not include council’s heritage advisors report. This was fundamental given that council had twice previously refused the Woolworth’s application and that the VCAT refusal was also largely based on heritage! Our conclusion is that decision making in Glen Eira remains a joke. When councillors, who are tasked with the role of representing the community, are not presented with vital and relevant information to inform their decision making, then any subsequent decision making can only be adjudged as totally suspect.
- There is much, much more that could be said about this item. Magee has not covered himself in glory once again, by objecting to Zyngier’s comments that council has been treated as ‘children’ or that the current crop of trustees represent an improvement on the past.
What is at stake here is quite simple. When will council stop being the complicit, and cowering bunch of sycophants that fail to fight for their residents, or fail to proffer any public criticism of government. And when will councillors be provided with information that is fundamental to their decision making?
Glen Eira Debates 
June 8, 2022 at 12:21 PM
The bureaucrats work on the principle of the “need to know”. Councillors are not in this category. If they were, it would stuff up completely the workings of this unelected bureaucracy.
June 8, 2022 at 1:12 PM
I’ve read many officer reports on planning applications. Sometimes, there is a few sentences where the heritage advisor might recommend a refusal of the permit. The general comment on such recommendations is that “on balance” the applicant gets his permit and the heritage advisor’s view is dismissed. Without actually seeing and reading the various reports councillors are hung out to dry and they have to take the final report on a gigantic leap of faith.
I totally agree with the post’s implication that all reports from all council departments be made available to councillors and the community – especially when one department opposes the final recommendation. That in my view would represent transparency which is very much under assault by the planning department.
June 8, 2022 at 4:54 PM
Magee’s a bloody joke. Said he’s got a tree bigger and older than whats in the latest tree register and that he’d apply for this tree. Forgot that he’s on record saying that on his property he should do what he wants. Admitted later that the tree is on council land.
June 8, 2022 at 6:54 PM
Magee still wants fence to fence sports grounds, pavilions, and he’s love, plastic grass. He’s just hiding in the long grass pretending to be concerned about trees and environmental issues. He past voting recorded, reenforced last night shows he will suck up to the powers to get his sporting heaven. He has never given a hoot about the environment, climate change or any thing else other sport, and development. He is a 1950’s man and proud of it.
August 16, 2022 at 3:06 PM
The Caulfield Racecourse development scandal continues. Be good if IBAC could go back thru the whole thing for the last 15 years, and find out what’s going on behind the scenes. Would almost certainly reveal graft and corruption galore.