By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS AND LACHLAN MOORHEAD
OPPOSITION leader Matthew Guy has slammed the State Government for looking outside of Little India in Dandenong to establish the state’s premier Indian precinct.
In an interview with Star News, Mr Guy said the move was akin to creating another Lygon Street precinct outside of Lygon Street, or starting up a second Greek precinct.
“I know they talk about Tarneit (as an option). Respectfully I’d say let’s make this one work.”
He said Little India was a “very good concept” that had been recently improved with new signage and branding.
Mr Guy said that in his role as a minister in the previous government, he had given Museum India its present site in Foster Street.
That lease had expired, making it important for the museum to have access to the derelict former Masonic lodge on Mason Street, he said.
The precinct could be further lifted with bi-lingual signage, streetscaping and rebranding.
There was also scope for inviting the Indian community to contribute art pieces or things uniquely Indian in Settlers Square to create a “feel” between Foster Street and the lodge.
Mr Guy said a streamlined planning regime was needed to attract private investors to join the Revitalising Central Dandenong urban renewal project – which had been kickstarted with $290 million of state funding.
Mr Guy also responded to Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius’s concerns – aired by Star News – about the harm created by packaged liquor and its proliferation in disadvantaged areas in the south-east.
He said the best thing would be for south-east councils to ask the State Government for a moratorium on new liquor outlets in affected areas.
As a former Planning Minister, he had introduced such a moratorium in Chapel Street, Prahran.
Mr Guy said there was no better advice on community safety than that given by police.
However, he backed away from overhauling the liquor licencing regime, which had been labelled by Mr Cornelius as “ridiculously permissive”.
When asked how extremism among children and young adults could be curbed, Mr Guy said parents had the best opportunity to talk to their kids when they noticed behavioural change.
“If you notice attitude changes in your kids … the government can’t notice those changes, the communities can’t notice those changes, churches, mosques or synagogues or temples can’t notice those changes.
“Parents are the first port of call to noticing behavioural changes amongst children, kids.”
Twelve months have passed since 18-year-old Numan Haider’s fateful attack on police in Endeavour Hills, and even less since Federal police executed raids throughout Casey in response to an alleged plot to target police at a local Anzac Day service.
The aspiring premier said it was unfair to also single out community groups such as the Islamic community.
“They do a lot, a lot, a lot more than people realise, to help and assist to ensure their community is not unfairly branded or maligned and that anyone within in their community who removes themselves, that they try and come around, to try and help,” Mr Guy said.
“And so do a number of Christian communities, it’s not an issue that’s just relevant to Islamic communities.
“Some of the Christian communities have had similar problems.
Mr Guy did not commit to ending rate-capping on councils, if it was introduced.
He said he was, however, concerned about its impact on community services if councils were also hit by cost-shifting.
Mr Guy said he would scrap the AFL Grand Final weekend public holiday, predicting it could become an election issue.
