Dear Supporter,

I write today to ask you, as a Northern Option supporter, to email the Premier daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au          or phone his office on 9651 5000 ( ask for Brok McNally or Lizzie Radcliffe)

The Federal Court has found the Environment Minister’s decision to refuse protection for an area of land, was wrong in law. 

The ruling calls for a fresh Ministerial decision on the Aboriginal members of the Djab Wurrung Heritage Protection Embassy request for protection for an area targeted for destruction on MRPV Option 1 Route on the Western Highway. 

Federal Court Judge Alan Robertson quashed the Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley’s July 16 decision to reject embassy members’ application to protect land along the Buangor to Ararat stage of the highway project. The judge’s decision was based on ‘legal error’ involving culturally significant trees.

Efforts to change the route of the 12.5-kilometre development section of highway between Buangor and Ararat have also included community-based Keep Original Route Supporters, KORS. 

KORS has been advised the Minister may repeat her previous decision allowing MRPV to continue with construction of Option 1 Route. If this happens, the Djab Wurrung community may have grounds to lodge another challenge to any new decision not to protect the area.

KORS and the Djabwurrung are looking for a solution to break the impasse and the continued judicial proceedings. 

The Deputy Prime Minister in his role as Minister for Infrastructure has been asked to commission a comprehensive comparison of the MRPV Option 1 alignment and the KORS/Djabwurrung route, the Northern Option. No such assessment has ever been undertaken by MRPV. 

I write today to ask you, as a Northern Option supporter, 

to email the Premier daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au

or phone his office on 9651 5000 ( ask for Brok McNally or Lizzie Radcliffe)

 to express your support for a comparative assessment of impacts on the planned and Alternative routes and request that  Mr Michael Kennedy, lawyer to KORS, landowners and Djabwurrung, have the opportunity to meet the Premier to outline the merits of the assessment by the Commonwealth. Let Daniel Andrews know you are counting on him to side with Aboriginals, Victorians, the land, the law, drivers and the careful use of the State’s coffers.

Getting an appointment with the Premier is difficult at any time..let alone before Christmas, but we hope with your support for our request, Mr Andrews will see the importance of the meeting.