Royal Park

Events on 26 & 27th August and a report on the 19th of Augst planting at Bayles Street Grasslands.

The admirable tenacity and personal sacrifices of people involved over a long time in fighting the East West Link on the streets and in the courts have finally effected some changes, but the fat lady has not sung yet. The huge Elliott Avenue toll road exchange that threatened the viability of Melbourne Zoo, will not go ahead. Royal Park woodlands near the zoo will also be left standing. What will happen instead is not yet clear and no-one can relax. The East West Link, if it goes ahead in any form, will be a kind of cut-off point for environment and democracy in Melbourne. The huge efforts already expended by the public should have seen the toll way cancelled and forgotten That it survives in some form draws attention to the tragic influence of the growth lobby over our laws and government. (Candobetter.net editorial)

Article has been adapted from a comment entitled "East West link business plan must be known by Senate" originally posted by PostGrowthEra on 5 September - Ed

Legal advice provided by deputy Senate clerk Richard Pye confirms the Senate has ''undoubted power'' to force Infrastructure Australia to hand over the documents, which the state government insisted must remain secret to protect delicate commercial negotiations.

The state government provided a cost-benefit analysis to Infrastructure Australia for the East West link, but it won't be available for public viewing because it's "commercially sensitive"

Sustainable Population Australia, Green Wedges Coalition, Protectors of Public Lands Victoria and Planning Backlash are four of the peak planning and environmental groups that have produced a Sustainable Population Charter for Victoria because the government seems unable to do so. It recommends that net overseas migration be reduced from the recent 232,000 immigrants in a year to 70,000 net per annum. See "Peak Community Groups advocate for Population size as an election issue."

Rally to save Royal Park from destruction

Where: Smith Reserve, Alexandra Parade,Fitzroy (next to the Fitzroy Pool)
When: 1:00PM, Sat 31 August.                                                Be there!

Final Reminder : Rally "Say No to the East West Link - Yes to Doncaster Rail" Tuesday 20 August 2013 12:45 pm for 1 pm start to 2 pm Steps of Parliament. It is DDay for the future of Melbourne. Our inner city suburbs and our parks - Royal Park, Travancore and the Moonee Ponds Creek- will be bulldozed and destroyed if the juggernaut of the East West Link is constructed, unless we act now.

Included within this article: 10 reasons to say "no" to the East West link toll road

Melbourne residents are now threatened with the complete ruin of the iconic Royal Park in order to build the East West Link at an extortionate cost that will ultimately be borne by road users through tolls and taxpayers. A far more cost-effective and environmentally and socially sound solution to Melbourne's transport problems, the projected Doncaster Railway line, will be precluded if construction the East-West Link proceeds.

Article originally published: 2013-05-29 01:10:20 +1000

Plans to build the east-west link tunnel Melbourne's Royal Park are commencing. The tunnel, which is to cost from $10 billion to $12 billion, is to use vents protruding from the ground to pour motor exhaust fumes into the park. Some of the park will have to be dug up to build the entrance to the tunnel. On Page 8 of the Melbourne Age it was reported that, for the project to commence, eighteen boreholes will have to be drilled into the Royal Park as part of the assessment by the Melbourne City Council as recommended by the city of Melbourne management. If voted for by the council "on Tuesday" (28 May or 4 June?) drilling will commence.

You are invited to the official opening, the inauguration, of "Doyle's Dunny", a new toilet block at the entrance of the Australian Native Garden in Royal Park, Parkville. Iconic vegetation and indigenous and Melbourne Gardens traditions have been set aside for the siting of this enormous new stainless steel super toilet. The inauguration will be officiated by Rod Quantock Acting President of PPL VIC, as MC. Venue is Gatehouse Street Parkville entrance to Australian Native Garden, Royal Park, at 12:30 pm Friday 15 February 2013.

This is a copy of Kelvin Thomson's speech to the Annual General Meeting, Royal Park Protection Group Inc. Flemington Community Centre, 8 September 2012. Kelvin Thomson is a Federal Labor politician in the seat of Wills who stands out for his independent views on democracy and population in a government and opposition that seems depressingly unaware of the importance of these conceptsand their effect on each other.

Whose parks are they?
Alienation of central city parkland and heritage sites by Government and their transfer to developers, commercial organisations and special interest groups? Mismanagement of parkland by the local councils. Exclusion of community groups by local councils from previous long standing co operative involvement in management of parks and gardens. Discrimination by local councils restricting access to funding. Abuses are accumulating and getting worse. Crooked governments and cut-throat developers are very organised and local groups must also organise locally, state-wide and nationally to reinforce democratic rights. Consider joining Protectors of Public Lands Inc. in your state or starting a branch. similar articles and Protectors of Public Land

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.

Melbourne community anti-tunnels activists held a successful protest outside Premier John Brumby's Transport Summit at Telstra Dome in Melbourne.

Royal Park, the jewel of inner Melbourne, is being hacked away for sportsgrounds and housing. 20 ha of this public land were given to Australand recently. Road Tunnels through Royal Park will devastate it and traumatise citizens.