Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) presented a petition bearing 2406 signatures:

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council to the to the North East Link Project (NELP). The NELP construction has caused significant native animal habitat removal and fragmented wildlife corridors serving Plenty Gorge, the Simpson Army Barracks to Banyule Flats and Yarra Parklands. Thereby increasing kangaroos and wildlife killed on roads through Macleod, Heidelberg, and Bulleen. Distressed kangaroos have been rescued or euthanised from these suburbs including Yallambie and Viewbank, causing heartache to residents while also presenting traffic hazards. During the project’s Urban Design and Landscape Plan consultation, NELP “received more than 250 submissions from local community groups, businesses, residents as well as local councils and made changes to the project design including: … A new wildlife crossing under Lower Plenty Road between Borlase Reserve and Banyule Flats”. This was signed off by the Minister for Planning in February 2023.

NELP have since reneged on an underground wildlife crossing at Yallambie and propose a rope bridge for climbing species, ignoring kangaroos, wombats and echidnas and the possibility of platypus and turtle travel.

This is a betrayal of NELP’s commitment to protect wildlife.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council calls on the Government to ensure that the underground Wildlife Crossing at Banyule Creek, Borlase Reserve Lower Plenty Road, Yallambie is installed as previously promised to the community in the North East Link Tunnels Urban Design and Landscape Plan and publicly release the Kangaroo Management Plan for the project interface with Simpson Barracks and for the M80 interchange.

Aiv PUGLIELLI: I move:

That the petition be taken into consideration on the next day of meeting.

Motion agreed to.