State government rushes through 10 ministerial amendments

The Victorian state government has notified Mansfield Shire Council of 10 new ministerial amendments in less than two weeks, with just 28 days' notice before they take effect. 

With more amendments reportedly on the way, Council is being asked to absorb sweeping regulatory change at a pace that leaves little room for proper assessment. 

Mansfield Shire Mayor Cr Steve Rabie has voiced strong concerns over the continued lack of consultation as the Victorian state government continues to usher in planning reform.

"The State government is handing down financial and administrative burden onto councils like Mansfield Shire with a sliver of notice and no consideration. It isn't reform, it's cost-shifting," Cr Rabie said.

"Local government operates under strict accountability rules for every ratepayer dollar we spend - the same standard doesn't apply to state government. These cost-shifts are tasking responsible councils with addressing the mounting debt in the state and it's the ratepayers footing the bill." 

"Council officers are currently having to sift through 1,732 pages of documents to figure out how these amendments impact our community. Where an amendment is relevant to any of Council's own policies or procedures, those policies and procedures have to be reviewed and changed to align with the amendment. Within a 28-day window."

"These changes mean that any resident or business with a planning permit application already in progress, at any stage, will be sent back to square one if an amendment affects it. The goalposts shift mid-process and applicants bear the cost of delay and uncertainty through no fault of their own."

Of the 10 amendments recently pushed through, several are set to significantly impact Mansfield Shire.

These amendments form a pattern of encouraging rapid, higher-density development with little regard for local character or capacity. Expanding the VicSmart pathway from two to four dwellings, strips away scrutiny from a broad range of unit developments within the shire.

A process intended for minor works is being applied to developments of a scale that arguably warrant a full assessment, limiting opportunities for Council and community consideration.

The increase in Small Second Dwelling size from 60sqm to 80sqm is likely to drive uptake, yet the Building Regulations have not been updated to match - leaving Council to manage approvals against a planning framework the building system isn't equipped to support.

There are also concerning changes to garden area requirements, removing the 1-metre minimum width and allowing uncovered driveways to count as garden area. The change removes the need for developments to protect genuine open space.

Paired with the expanded VicSmart pathway, this enables more dwellings per lot with fewer green spaces, stripping the qualities that define our residential areas.

Taken together, these amendments prioritise development volume and speed over character, environmental amenity and infrastructure capacity.

"Mansfield Shire Council remains determined to do whatever it can to protect our Shire's country character," Mayor Cr Rabie said.

"These reforms threaten to turn regional Victorian towns into metropolitan suburbs. In the lead-up to this election, we will be speaking to politicians of all affiliations and making it clear that population growth can't come at the expense of shires like ours keeping it country."