BY CHRIS SLEE
MELBOURNE — More than 100 people attended the annual general meeting of the Royal Park Protection Society on November 13, at which they heard speeches from candidates in the November 30 Victorian election.
Labor candidates, including housing minister Bronwyn Pike, received a hostile reception in response to the Victorian government's plan to allow a housing development on the site of the disused Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital. The residents want the area re-incorporated into Royal Park.
Speakers for the Greens, Socialist Alliance, Australian Democrats and Public Transport First opposed the housing development, which is supposed to become athlete's village for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. However, Pike was forced to admit the development will not be completed in time for the games.
Richard di Natale, the Greens candidate for the seat of Melbourne, insisted the development "is not about the games". "It is about giving away public land", he said. If Greens are elected on November 30, they will move a private members bill to reverse the decision.
Socialist Alliance candidate Arun Pradhan agreed that the housing project was an example of "privatisation of public assets".
Another Labor MP, Gavin Jennings, said there is no point voting for the Greens because their bill would not be debated in parliament. This caused outrage.
Simon Millar, speaking on behalf of Socialist Alliance candidate for Brunswick Judy McVey, said this showed that opponents of the development must rely on mass action and union bans to win their campaign.
From Green Left Weekly, November 20, 2002.
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