Melbourne - as a Capital City - currently faces unprecedented challenges, not the least of which is the unfortunate lack of confidence that pervades almost every analysis of the city's future.

Today, on behalf of the coalition, it is therefore my pleasure to launch our Vision for Melbourne - a broad plan for this decade and beyond.

It is a Vision that capitalises on historic strengths, frankly addresses our weaknesses and seizes the key opportunities that are available for our great city.

Simply stated, we are convinced that Melbourne can realise its full potential as an internationally-renowned city.

But we are equally convinced that this will only occur if significant legal and financial impediments and long standing industrial relations and political restraints are lifted, leading to a renaissance of enterprise and activity in the city centre.

Our vision for Melbourne therefore involves a series of strategic initiatives designed to:

1. enhance Melbourne's attractiveness as a lively, cosmopolitan centre, with a vibrant retail and entertainment focus,
2. strengthen the C.B.D.'s key financial and commercial activities and create an environment conducive to economic growth,
3. expand our capital city as a base for advanced manufacturing, research and trade, recognising the critical roles of both the Port of Melbourne and Tullamarine airport; and
4. promote Melbourne as the showcase of world class events and festivals: like the Australian Open Tennis and the Spring Racing Carnival; with international-standard arts, theatrical and sports facilities, proudly "selling" the city as an attractive destination and as the Convention Capital of Australasia.

The Coalition has been using the last year to finalise its policy research and development work in all of these areas. We have consulted widely, including briefings on the aspirations and beliefs of many people in this room.

We believe the 1990's must be a period where Melbourne confidently asserts a new identity; as a city that, for the first time, takes advantage of its magnificent water frontage; a city that re-establishes itself as the engine-room for national economic growth; a city that presents a vibrant image and a 'user friendly' pedestrian environment; a city that can afford to protect its built heritage and natural features.

How? Only by dealing with the underlying causes of Melbourne's problems.

Almost ten years in the political wilderness has certainly taught the Coalition that now is the time for a series of reforms and infrastructure projects that will act as the spur for a sustained period of urban revitalisation.

If urgent initiatives are not taken, Melbourne will continue on a path of recession and lethargy.

The past few years have seen many failures and lost opportunities. Our City's national role has been challenged and diminished.

We used to have a fine reputation as the headquarters of Australia's major corporations and agencies, but in the last few years we have seen the Australian Securities Commission shift its head office from Melbourne to Sydney, the Australian Tourism Commission do likewise and major international banks and new investors choosing Sydney over our capital. Unfortunately Telecom looks set to follow suit and possible the Wool Corporation.

Worse will follow if we don't lift our game. Melbourne's position as the hub of domestic air travel could also be lost, if the Hawke Government proceeds with its hopelessly inadequate plans for the privatisation of Australian Airlines.

And lest we forget our most common failing: compromising our principles and not living up to the grand vision that fired the spirit of Melbourne's earliest designers - people like Hoddle, Von Mueller, Barry, Fawkner and Guilfoyle.

It is this tendency to compromise that saw governments build costly monstrosities like the World Congress Centre - a facility that is not only ugly and hard to access, but is the first structure to encroach upon and over-shadow the Yarra River. It saw previous governments allowing the intrusive Princes Gate towers to be constructed and permitting the Paris end of Collins Street to be destroyed.

Now is the time for a decisive, imaginative revival. The time for compromise and narrow horizons is over.

First, the provision of infrastructure.

It is about time that governments got back to the basics of providing the essential road and public transport infrastructure that facilitates the meeting of complementary economic and social objectives. It is now universally agreed that Melbourne needs to improve its pedestrian access, thereby heightening its attractiveness to city workers, shoppers and tourists alike. But to achieve this, major effort must be put into removing the excessive presence of motor vehicles in the City.

The Coalition is extremely concerned that in the pursuit of this objective the Kirner Government and the Melbourne City Council have sought to engage in a quick fix by closing Swanston Street and creating the so-called Swanston Walk. It is highly likely that this project will cause traffic chaos and thereby create further controversy the City can well do without.

There is a better way.

It involves substantial capital works which will, on a permanent basis, ease the traffic congestion in the CBD and assist both commuters and industry to go about their business.

This landmark infrastructure project will end a major bottleneck which causes significant congestion and air pollution in the city. It will help realise the dream of providing a ring road around the Central Business District and will open-up genuine, creative opportunities for pedestrianisation of the city centre.

It could be implemented in conjunction with other proposals to humanise the city; such as the recent B.O.M.A./Retail Traders Association suggestion to close sections of Swanston and Elizabeth Streets for use as tree-lined and landscaped zones.

Complementing the Domain Tunnel project the Coalition also announces today its policy commitment to link the Tullamarine and Westgate freeways, through the construction, as funds become available, of the Western Bypass.

This necessary, long-term project will enhance both commuter and heavy traffic movement and underpin two of the primary aims I have already mentioned: Melbourne's role as a trading hub that needs the fast links for industry which the connection of these freeways will provide; and Melbourne's role as a retail and entertainment centre, which will likewise be assisted by the benefit these freeways provide in slashing traffic that is currently forced to drive through the C.B.D.

In the City we also believe there is tremendous opportunity to better utilise and expand Melbourne's public transport system.

In particular, Melbourne's historic 'W' Class trams are a living treasure. They not only provide cost effective, safe and environmentally friendly transport for the public; they act as a unique tourist attraction. I'm pleased that the latter fact has now dawned on the Premier but its regrettable that so little has been done to promote and expand the tram system.

The Coalition intends to tackle this issue in a comprehensive manner. Firstly we will create a City Circle tram route, by constructing a new tram line down Spring Street and thereby establishing a continuous route around the central city area, to be used by commuters and particularly by interstate and overseas visitors. This tram route will feature Melbourne's significant, if depleted stock of historical trams and will, within a short time, be a major tourist attraction in itself.

It is also our intention, in conjunction with the Docklands development, to extend the tram network from the CBD into the Docklands, with the first such extension being a new tram track along Flinders Street down to the waterfront. Proceeds from Crown land sales can be used to meet the cost of such a project.

These exciting additions to the public transport system are part of the logical revitalisation process which can occur in our city if a Government is prepared to take on capital works projects that are obviously long overdue.

It should be clear that our Vision for Melbourne is based on making the city a better and easier place to use. Infrastructure was the first area I wanted to canvass, now let me turn to reform and deregulation.

Legal and political reforms are needed to help the urban revitalisation process. It is ridiculous that certain legitimate activities are actually banned in our capital - such as retail trading on Sundays.

As part of the Coalition's commitment to deregulation we will in our first week in government, legalise 7 day trading for the C.B.D., including Southbank.

Forget the half-baked deals with union bosses that will give consumers the right to shop on up to 10 Sundays a year; let's instead say, "Melbourne is open for business".

Our capital city will be a livelier and more active place when this occurs. Indeed, such a reform is essential if other changes are to work. Just imagine how absurd it would be, if the Swanston Walk proceeds, with pedestrians able to amble along this new promenade on a Sunday past all of Joan Kirner's closed shops!

We will deregulate in other areas too. As you know the Liberal and National Parties broke the ice in 1989 by promising a world class casino for Melbourne. Such a facility has long been banned, but we welcome a bi-partisan approach to get a casino in place.

A word of warning though. We want to see an arms length, international tender for the creation of a city casino. Unlike Labor we will not restrict all interested parties to bidding for a casino solely in the Docklands. There are many outstanding alternative sites in Melbourne and Joan Kirner and Jim Kennan are misguided in rejecting these options.

What they fail to understand is that we need to underpin and foster the existing central city area just as much as we need to develop adjacent areas. These can be complementary objectives, but to eliminate the option of centering a popular and prosperous new casino complex in the C.B.D. would show a chronic lack of vision.

Our policy research and consultation has led us to the view that many actions must be taken to promote life in the heart of the city.

The State's role is not to impose its will in a draconian fashion, but to outline its aims and to lead by example.

The Coalition finds it absurd that the $120m. Museum project is being planned for the far end of the Southbank site. In our view, much better sites are available. The new Museum should be built in the city - in a most historic and significant civic precinct: the Queen Victoria hospital site. This would keep one of Victoria's most popular educational and tourist attractions in the C.B.D.; surely a good idea.

I therefore call on the current government to reconsider the plans it hurriedly announced during the last State election for a Museum on Southbank.

A final word on our plans to enliven the central city area.

The signature tune of our capital is its Victorian architecture, its wide and impressive thoroughfares, its beautiful parks and open spaces. This is the identity of the city, which must be protected.

Our "grand" street is Collins Street and we would promote it as such. Significantly, we seek to see the two historic buildings that stand at each end of Collins Street used for major civic purposes: they being the Old Treasury building in Spring Street and the old VicRail headquarters in Spencer Street. It is a tragedy that these buildings are so under-utilized.

One option we will urgently investigate is the location on one of those magnificent sites of a major new attraction that we have planned for Melbourne. The new attraction is the creation of a specialised new Art Gallery; devoted to displaying Victoria's 'Heidelberg School' art collection.

This will be a unique destination, a prestigious addition to the capital city. The idea is inspired, in part, by the highly successful Musee d'Orsay in Paris. That new French museum drew together a specific collection of art work for display in a restored city railway station. We can learn from this precedent and create another cultural asset of enduring value.

This project is, like others I have mentioned, part of the Coalition's Vision. It is a plan for this decade and, with a combination of public and private capital, we seek to begin implementing these plans in the coming years.

Our Vision also embraces projects to promote and support Melbourne's natural assets: its parks, gardens, the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay.

We will move to create further green, open space in the city by using part of the 150 hectare Docklands site for a major new park. And we support current investigations into the idea of staging an International Garden Festival in the area. The coalition will also move to encourage greater activity on the Yarra and Port Phillip Bay.

Finally in this area, we will act to create a new, ground level City Plaza opposite Flinders Street Station, providing a picturesque view corridor from the city to the Yarra River.

No, we can't honestly promise to promptly roof the Jolimont rail yards and pull-down the Gas and Fuel buildings (as desirable as this aim is), but we will provide Melbourne with a magnificent Plaza that links historic buildings like St. Paul's Cathedral and Flinders Street station with the river bank.

It is perhaps timely to consider what role the Melbourne City Council will have in all these plans. We see it as a partner, but it will first have to undergo significant reforms so that it gives priority to the broad needs of the capital city.

The existing City Council structure is not working. It has been a figure of fun, a cause of cost and delays. The broad changes we plan to make to the Council will be outlined in our pending Local Government policy.

Of course our Vision extends beyond the central city area.

Development of the neighbouring Docklands precinct is a priority of the Coalition. When we used our numbers in the Upper House to pass the recent Docklands Legislation, the Liberal and National parties made it clear that we saw the river waterfront as our city's greatest medium and long term development opportunity.

In simple terms the Docklands offer a series of remarkable benefits. The real estate people would say it has the three great virtues: position, position, position. More specifically it gives Melbourne the chance to change the entire focus of the central city towards the River, the Port and the Bay.

We therefore signal that it will gain top priority in terms of new land for development. More than Jolimont, more even than Southbank, indeed more than any other area adjacent to the CBD the Docklands is the place we will seek to facilitate and encourage innovative design and development. Over 15-25 years it can be a successful, mixed-use precinct.

One of the early uses for part of the old railyards and wharves will be inner-urban residential development - something we are strongly committed to.

There is a powerful need to boost the permanent population and the city and surrounding suburbs, through urban consolidation and infil housing. We are determined to work with industry, professional bodies and Councils to actually achieve higher densities: providing affordable housing for a wide variety of Victorians within close reach of existing city services.

Finally then, I wish to put my comments today in the context of the overall economic platform that my leader, Jeff Kennett, and the Shadow Treasurer, Alan Stockdale, have outlined.

The coalition is committed to a pro-growth strategy. Not one where we "pick winners" and enforce false outcomes, but one where the size and cost of government is reduced - the precondition for debt levels being gradually lowered and taxation eased. For Melbourne this means we recognise and accept the need to alleviate the burden of land tax, which has had a particularly crippling effect on the economy.

We are publicly dedicated to land tax relief as a priority, but we will not treat you as fools by saying it can all happen immediately. The chronic financial mismanagement and losses imposed on this State by the Cain/Kirner team will live with us for years, limiting the ability to move as fast as we would like.

Nevertheless, our commitment is firm. The real question is: given the on-going financial constraints, what are your key priorities over time. This speech and other policies to be announced over coming months, indicates what ours will be.

We want to give true meaning to the words: "Marvellous Melbourne".

_____________________________________________

Back to Speeches & Articles

Back to Home Page