When the Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration hearing convened to hear from Peta Duke on 12 March 2010, she did not attend in answer to the summons. She had written the notorious Media Plan proposing a sham public consultation process to earn favour with the electorate. Mr Madden, who had not been summoned, sat in the chair reserved for the witness – his former Ministerial adviser - and said that he would answer questions. This was a blatant attempt to take over the inquiry being carried out by Parliament into his office’s conduct. - Protectors of Public Lands (Victoria)

Original newsletter sent out by Julianne Bell from Protectors of Public Lands, reporting on the Hearing of the Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration.

Against repeated previous promises, the Victorian Government of John Brumby is trampling over community and local govenment opposition to turn Melbourne into a junior version of Los Angeles without a proper cost-benefit analysis.

Article by Kenneth Davidson, a co-editor of Dissent Magazine, originally published as "Projects built at expense of community" in the Melbourne Age of 15 Feb 10.

This interesting letter about the experience of a citizen representing a group's appeal at VCAT vindicates the citizen, educates others about the VCAT attitude, and shows VCAT up.

The public are finding democratic ways to combat the devastation of all they hold dear and threats to life itself, as Victoria's government closes its eyes and steps as hard on the growth-accelerator as it can. You may already know about the requisitioning of 50,000 ha for residential development and new roads and the government's intention to simply take away our green wedges and get rid of our wildlife and trees. Yes our democracy is being trampled along with everything else, but we have not entirely lost people power.

Another success for the urban democracy and environment movement. The day after the "Restore Residents Rights" rally at parliament house on June 10, which was attended by about 600 people, Victoria's upper house rejected changes to the Planning and Environment Act that would have introduced Development Assessment Committees [DACs] to the State.

Spokespeople for Royal Park Protection Group Inc. (RPPG) have called the deletion of the East West road tunnel and freeway from the Brumby Victorian Transport Plan, a win for commonsense and the common people and said that even the Zoo animals can breathe easy now that a tunnel won’t be constructed next to their home. See also upcoming forum 10 December: What will the Brumby Transport Plan mean for Melbourne?"

Hear Dr. Leigh Glover, Assistant Director of the Centre for the Governance and Management of Urban Transport (GAMUT) Melbourne University on “Sustainable Transport for Melbourne,” Wednesday 3 December

Melbourne Tunnels Protests in Melbourne are gathering, not losing, steam as suburban groups organise under bigger groups. Report:
See also article on Tunnels-shareholder liabilities: Dodgy connections in BrisConnections

Up to 1,000 houses are threatened with requisition and Melbourne's Royal Park is threated with destruction in order to build unsustainable road tunnels in inner Melbourne. On Sunday 26 October community groups will protest to prevent this reckless stupidity.

What you can do: attend the rally at 12 noon for a 12:15 pm start on Sunday 26 October 2008 at Flinders Street Railway Station under the Clocks. 
See also: www.royalparkprotect.org.au, VCAT "Community Forum highlights problems fixes none" of 17 Oct 08.

Royal Park Protection Group Inc.

Media release 4 September 2008

Tomorrow the Royal Park Protection Group (RPPG) and the Yarra Campaign Against Tunnels (YCAT) are, in consultation with resident and environmental groups in the East and West of Melbourne, facilitating a Community Protest for resident, community, and environment groups plus concerned individuals at the Premier's Transport Summit to be held at Telstra Dome in Melbourne.

Community members last week stopped workers installing possum exclusion bands on trees in Catani Gardens Melbourne by occupying the work-site.

On Friday last, around lunchtime, a friend of Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc (PPL VIC) observed workers of CityWide (a contractor hired by Port Phillip Council) high up on a cherry picker in St Kilda's Catani Gardens. They appeared to be taking out a sleeping possum from a large "possum box" (read trap) installed 20 metres up in one of the giant cypress trees and were forcing it into a large white bag, obviously for disposal. This represents a new development in the saga of the Council's bid to exterminate the colony of tame possums, which have lived in the Gardens for 80 years, delighting residents, tourists, plus generations of Melburnians.