The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has criticised the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 in Parliament, warning it risks leaving rural communities further overlooked in decisions that directly affect them.
Ms Benham spoke of the many implications of the amendments to Victoria’s currently inadequate planning laws.
“The planning schemes and these amendments are written in the city, for the city, and it shows a complete lack of understanding of regional Victoria.
“Planning is not one size fits all and this has been a longstanding issue. Generational farmers, many of whom have lived on the land for decades, are effectively blocked from excising land to downsize or retire, which can have serious financial, mental and physical impacts. Meanwhile, your neighbour may no longer even be notified about what is being built next door.”
Other impacts include the digital-only publication of public notices, which risks excluding older and digitally marginalised residents who rely on local newspapers, while also reducing vital income for regional papers from planning advertisers.
The Bill also allows growth area infrastructure contributions to be used for projects outside the areas where funds are raised, further limiting local communities’ ability to benefit from development in their own regions.
“The same government that claims to be creating housing is preventing development with their city-centric planning laws,” Ms Benham said. “Rural communities are paying the price for planning rules that fail to consider the realities of regional life.
“Labor can’t manage planning laws and regional Victorians are paying the price.”
My parliamentary contribution can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FeJQf2VcyA.
