The proposed Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal (VRET) at the Port of Hastings has highlighted this petition’s call that a proposed strategic framework for Western Port be incorporated into a legislated Western Port Region Strategic Management Plan.

When it comes to a strategic framework, it is important to take into account that the welfare of Western Port’s biosphere is not solely dependent on what happens along its coastal fringes, but also on what happens in its water catchment region.

While Western Port is coming under increasing pressure to meet the demands of establishing a VRET (thus expanding its port facilities), so too is the region coming under pressure to meet the demands of a growing population and associated infrastructure development.

Hence, it’s important that both the federal and the Victorian state governments take a holistic and long-term approach to securing the region’s eco-sustainability and not cave in to supporting short-term and sometimes, speculative development schemes that could forever change the character of Western Port and its region.  

As mentioned in my petition Update “Pollies take note!” (20 March 2025), Professor Maurice A. Shapiro tried to guide us when he said of Western Port:

“Because of the immense biological wealth of the area and because initial findings of the Social Survey indicate that the ‘country atmosphere’ may be the single most important feature attributed to the area, one option stands out – ‘Leave the area as it is’.  On the other hand, an equally extreme option would be to devote the resources of the area entirely to urban, industrial, and port development at the expense of the natural ecosystems and the recreational resources.

While these options are extreme and are probably unrealistic many of the desirable features of the first option could and should, with careful planning, characterise any future development in the area.  In particular the preservation of the existing country atmosphere (e.g. bushland, forest, broad agricultural lands) should be a major objective in any future plans for the region.”

I again ask that both governments look to Shapiro’s report and that the state government introduce a Western Port Region Strategic Management Plan to parliament prior to the next state election in November 2026.   

Please ask your MP to support the plan and encourage others to sign the petition.

Thank you.

Illustration: Proposed Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at the Port of Hastings, Western Port.