12 November 2020 Speech - Melbourne's 'Leafy' East

My constituency question is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. Will the minister work with local governments in my electorate to significantly increase the number of trees on our streets?

The opposition has released its plan to get Victoria back to work and back in business. It includes strong environmental proposals that we actively encourage the government to pick up now, from the Zero to Landfill and waste-to-energy policies to the fast-tracking of a container deposit scheme. A personal favourite of mine is the proposal to plant a million new trees in Victoria.

My constituents have been impressing upon me the importance of improving local amenity, especially in Box Hill and around Mount Waverley. With new developments shooting up and the increasing threat of moonscaping, the leafy eastern suburbs of Melbourne are becoming less so, yet we have an opportunity to reclaim that moniker with an increase in tree planting.