Posted to Monash Weekly on 25/11/2009 at 10:09 PM
Commenting on “Mayor hits out on developers bypass Council”
If the Council is powerless to do anything about this, it is either the local planning law or Council is irrelevant. In the present shape and form, VCAT has too much on its plates, and in many cases, its decisions are generally also irrelevant, and work against the interest of the community. VCAT has become a battlefield for the rich and powerful, and trying to win a case that costs substantial sum is a drain to the Council budget, and hence leads to rate increase in subsequent years. Planning laws need to be changed, Council be given more power to oversee proper compliance. VCAT has become irrelevant, too!
VCAT stands for Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal which Deals with disputes about consumer matters, credit, discrimination, domestic building, guardianship/administration, residential/retail tenancies, etc.
