The Age Letters February 27, 2010
JUSTIN Madden must resign. The leaked document that reveals a plan by his office to run a sham public consultation process over the future of the Windsor Hotel (''Heat on Madden over Windsor Hotel sham'', The Age, 26/2) has merely confirmed what we have known all along, that community consultation is a sham.
We call it ticking the boxes and ignoring what anyone says because they already know what they want to do. However, we have continued, in hope, to spend hours and hours writing serious submissions. Now we know, straight from the horse's mouth, that we have been wasting our time. We feel insulted.
One interesting thing has been shown up by this scandal. Although Mr Madden frequently calls in and approves developments, thus overruling the community and even his own panel, in the case of this development, it seems the panel approves of it but the government wants to refuse it.
So instead of the minister calling it in and then refusing planning permission, he wants to run the usual fake community consultation and, surprise, surprise - the people don't want the development so Mr Madden can say to his developer mates that he is sorry but he has to refuse it because the people don't want it.
It is not only Mr Madden who should resign, John Brumby should go with him; he is responsible for his government.
Victorian opposition leader Ted Baillieu is calling for Justin Madden to be sacked. "They have a complete lack of respect for the community, everything they ...
Opposition leader Ted Baillieu said Mr Madden must go otherwise it is clear the government endorses this cynical and deceptive attempt to manipulate ...
Mary Drost, convener, Planning Backlash, Camberwell
