Riordan: Labor Re-draws Melbourne Without Input
Suburb by suburb, Labor re-draws Melbourne without consultation
The Allan Labor Government has today gleefully announced yet another major change to the built character of Melbourne, this time imposing 25 new “Activity Centres” across Melbourne while ignoring the real barriers to housing supply – crippling taxes and over-regulation.
Shadow Minister for Planning, Richard Riordan, said the announcement was more about spin than substance, as Labor continues to avoid addressing why homes aren’t being built in Victoria.
“Hundreds of thousands of Victorians will come home today to find out their suburb and neighbourhood has been re-classified as an ‘Activity Centre’ – proof that under Labor, it’s No Voice, No Choice. Residents are being sidelined, councils are being overruled, and communities are being re-shaped whether they want it or not,” Mr Riordan said
“More disappointing is this Government with its obsession with the destruction of Melbourne’s suburbs, continues to ignore housing solutions for Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the rest of rural and regional Victoria – who are also experiencing a severe housing supply crisis.”
“The lack of imagination and real solutions from this government to Victoria’s housing crisis is beyond a joke.”
“Every time there is an announcement like today, my phone runs hots with calls from housing advocates, first home buyers and developers who are increasingly exasperated by the apparent refusal of this Government to deal with the real barriers to housing affordability and accessibility.”
“Another day, another planning announcement that ignores the reality on the ground – no one is building homes at scale in Victoria because they’re taxed into oblivion.” Mr Riordan said.
Developers won’t build, not because there aren’t enough rules forcing councils to say yes, but because Labor’s own policies make housing projects financially unviable.
Labor’s so-called ‘Train and Tram Zone’ Activity Centres will see councils lose even more control over local planning decisions, while residents will have even less say on developments in their communities.
This announcement follows a pattern of Labor overriding local decision-making and imposing top-down, cookie-cutter planning schemes without fixing the broken tax and approval system that is stopping housing from being delivered.
“Instead of working with communities, Labor is imposing its vision from above, bulldozing local voices and reshaping our suburbs to fit its centralised agenda.”
“Labor can’t manage housing and Victorians are paying the price,” Mr Riordan said.
Under Labor, Victoria is already the highest-taxed state for property in the country, with excessive land tax, stamp duty, and developer charges making it unprofitable to build at scale. This announcement does nothing to fix that.
The Liberals and Nationals support real planning reform that cuts construction costs, streamlines approvals, and encourages real housing supply – without destroying local communities in the process. Victorians deserve housing solutions that actually work, not more government control and failed policies.
https://vic.liberal.org.au/article/2025-02-27-riordan-suburb-by-suburb-labor-re-draws-melbourne-without-consultation