Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on an issue that is critical to residents and small businesses in Higgins—extended clearway times. In my first speech I spoke of Higgins as a seat filled with aspirational people. Critical in this group are small business people. Ppeople who roll up their sleeves, take a chance and create jobs. In Higgins there are around 19,000 small businesses—from one-person operations right through to people who employ over 100 people. These businesses are part of the nations 2.4 million small businesses. As we on this side of the House understand, small business is critical to the engine room of the Australian economy. Governments of federal and state persuasions must be ever-mindful of the impact of their decisions on small business, because adverse decisions can affect the viability of businesses, which affects jobs and, ultimately, affects our economy.

In Higgins we have a wonderful strip-shop culture. We have: Chapel St, Windsor; Chapel St, South Yarra; Toorak Rd, South Yarra; Toorak Rd, Toorak; High St, Armadale; High St, Prahran; Malvern Rd, Hawksburn; Malvern Rd, Malvern; and Wattletree Rd, Malvern East. These are just a few. Frequented by local residents, particularly during that busy period of after-school drop-offs and pick-ups, they are very much a critical part of our community.

Without warning and with no consultation, the Brumby Labor government made a unilateral decision in April 2008 that, from 1 July 2008, they would apply new and extended clearway operating times on major roads within 10 kilometres of the city centre. These extended clearway operating times would apply from 6.30 am to 10.00 am and from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm. There was obviously an outcry in the local community. This was done without consultation with residents, small business or local council.

The Stonnington council commissioned economic modelling on the impact this decision would have on small businesses, because the decision was made without any economic impact statement. The council’s economic modelling revealed that extended clearway times would, conservatively, impact daily earnings for retailers by 5.5 per cent and annually by 4.5 per cent, at a cost of around $6 million annually.

Thirty thousand people signed a petition to reject this terrible decision by the Brumby Labor government. They do not want to see small businesses go to the wall. They want to be able to shop locally. What reaction did the Brumby government have to this petition? What genius solution did they come up with? They left the morning hours as they had unilaterally decided, but in the afternoons they changed the clearway times to start from 4.00pm, except within 100 metres of an intersection, where they would start from 3.00 pm. If there is anything designed to be more confusing for residents I cannot think of what that would be. This means that, on the same road in the same shopping strip, you have two different clearway times, depending on whether you park 99 metres from the intersection or 101 metres from the intersection.

By stealth on New Year’s Eve, the Brumby Labor government, through the Minister for Roads, Tim Pallas, delivered notification to the City of Stonnington that it must implement this unpopular, unjust and unclear clearways policy, commencing in February 2010. This was before they had properly analysed the impact of extended clearway times already underway in Boroondara and before they had actually analysed whether these extended clearway times would in fact be effective. Today, people who are trying to park according to the street signs in the local area, on these arterial roads, are being towed and fined. The City of Stonnington have done the right thing: they have taken on the Labor government and have challenged the decision, standing up for residents and small businesses. We will know the outcome of that challenge with the conclusion of the legal proceedings, due to commence around 25 May.

The clearway times have been opposed by local traders groups, the Stonnington Traders Group and the Inner City Business Group. It has been opposed by local council, as I have mentioned. The former mayor, Claude Ullin, and the current mayor, Tim Smith, have done excellent work standing up for small businesses and residents. It has been opposed by local members Andrea Coote, the member for the Southern Metropolitan Region, and Mr Michael O’Brien, the member for Malvern. (Extension of time granted) One person who has been missing in action on this critically important issue is the member for Prahran, Mr Tony Lupton. In fact Mr Tony Lupton has made a very clear statement on this issue. He says, ‘This plan is good for the community, good for business and good for the environment.’

He is not opposing the decision, and it is good news for us that the people of Higgins and the people of Prahran will be able to make a decision on him in November of this year. There is a very strong candidate in Clem Newton-Brown, who has campaigned hard on this issue and will oppose the extended clearways policy. The local state government members have said very clearly that they will reject it if they win office in November. I think it is critically important that we stand up for small business and that we stand up for the local residents who reject this plan. I would like to commend the work that has been done by all in the local area on this most critical issue.