Federal Government Disinterest in Royal Park

Given the Federal Government’s plan to spend billions of dollars (Budget emergency notwithstanding) to put a freeway through Royal Park, I asked the Assistant Infrastructure Minister whether the Government had made any estimates of the value of Royal Park as an area of public open space for Melbourne residents. I also asked whether any estimates factored in the impact of current population growth rates on public open space, and the importance of maintaining treed areas in Central Melbourne to mitigate against temperature and summer heat waves.

Mr Briggs has now replied that “these are primarily issues for the other levels of Government”.

It is a matter of profound regret that the Federal Government is prepared to spend billions of dollars on a freeway, but is not sufficiently engaged to find out anything about the damage this will cause.