Bill F.
Since
2011, residents in the small Dandenong Ranges township of Tecoma have been
fighting a fierce battle against the US monopoly junk-food giant McDonalds.
They
have banded together to oppose McDonalds’ plans to build a 24 hour outlet with
drive-through on the main road through Tecoma opposite a primary school. The
site is the old Hazel Vale Dairy building.
The
Dandenong Ranges surrounding Tecoma, with a population of less than 3000
residents, is a temperate rainforest region with National Parks and dense ferny
undergrowth through the hills and valleys. It attracts hundreds of thousands of
tourists and day-trippers. Its natural beauty is one of the main attractions
close to Melbourne.
McDonalds’
initial planning application met with 1170 written objections from people
concerned with traffic flow, litter, noise, crime, the impact on existing
businesses, proximity to schools and especially the fact that such a venture
was out of character with the area. There are no 24 hour fast food outlets with
drive-through in the whole of the Dandenong Ranges.
The
Shire of Yarra Ranges Council met in October 2011 and, supported by the 650
local residents in attendance, voted unanimously to reject McDonalds’
application.
The state looks after
capitalist class interests
Undeterred
by hostile residents and the Council ruling, McDonalds then trotted off to the Victorian
Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) which sat on things for a year and
then, in October 2012, overruled the Council’s decision, and further insulted
the residents by classing their objections as “irrelevant”.
VCAT
is an agency of the state government and seemingly an independent body to
arbitrate on the legality of planning issues. In reality its major function is
to override objections from residents, small businesses and others affected by
the schemes of the big developers and monopoly business interests.
Taking
the side of a foreign multinational like McDonalds is only to be expected.
Ideas of justice, fairness, consideration of residents, etc. mean little
against the class interests of capitalist private enterprise and profit-making.
Fearless and determined
campaign
A
few days later, nearly 600 residents met and organised a ‘Community Garden’ at
the proposed site and maintained a 24 hour vigil until evicted by the police in
November 2012. Again, the forces of the state were used to enforce the ‘legal
rights’ of monopoly capitalist business.
The
avenue of seeking a Supreme Court appeal against the VCAT ruling was
investigated by the community, but on this occasion a majority of the Yarra
Ranges Councillors baulked at the likely expense. Seeking justice and legal
redress is really only for the rich and powerful, and is designed that way by
the rich and powerful.
A
delegation directly appealed to the Minister for Planning Matthew Guy, but
their arguments changed nothing.
Having
exhausted all the legal window-dressing the system has to offer, the residents
set about a determined policy of building wide support and confronting the
McDonalds juggernaut.
They
door-knocked every household and conducted a survey, which asked, “Are you for
or against the proposed McDonald’s development in Tecoma?” Those against
totalled 1085 households (88%), with 86 (7%) who didn’t know or didn’t care,
and only 59 (4.8%) in favour. The campaign was attracting support from all over
Australia and overseas, as social media spread the news.
In
February this year, even the local gnomes left the forest and staged a “Gnomeageddon”
outside McDonalds’ headquarters in Melbourne!
And on March 2nd, a massive crowd of 3000 Hills residents and supporters from all over Melbourne marched from Belgrave to Tecoma to show their opposition.
And on March 2nd, a massive crowd of 3000 Hills residents and supporters from all over Melbourne marched from Belgrave to Tecoma to show their opposition.
All
this time, a number of courageous volunteers had been huddled on the roof of
the dairy building, preventing its demolition – huddled because it’s freezing
cold in the Dandenongs during winter!
One of these hardy souls, Janine Watson, celebrated her 50th birthday on the roof and offered some birthday cake to McDonald’s security guards. In a shocking display of thuggery, they pulled her down, hitting the top of the fence, and causing cuts and bruises and two broken fingers. Yet another (private) arm of state going about its “lawful” business!
One of these hardy souls, Janine Watson, celebrated her 50th birthday on the roof and offered some birthday cake to McDonald’s security guards. In a shocking display of thuggery, they pulled her down, hitting the top of the fence, and causing cuts and bruises and two broken fingers. Yet another (private) arm of state going about its “lawful” business!
Union support
With
the support of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, building workers then walked
off the site altogether. The VTHC released a statement which read…
The Building Industry
Group meeting today convened by the Victorian Trades Hall Council resolved to
support the rights of the Tecoma community to protest against what they believe
inappropriate development.
Building workers in
Victoria have a proud tradition of protecting those things that make this
state great. All Victorians are able to enjoy the City Baths, the Melbourne
Market and the magnificent Regent Theatre because building workers refused to
demolish these treasures.
In Tecoma, passionate
local protesters are committed to preventing what they see as inappropriate development.
In those circumstances
it is not safe to put building workers in the middle. Both in terms of access
and egress from the site and in terms of operating large machinery, the work
that is required cannot be done where there is a constant threat of intruders.
Further, we do not
believe that it is reasonable to put building workers in the middle of such a
heated debate.
We seek that the
Victorian Government take a proactive approach to resolving this dispute.
They should convene a meeting of the Local Council, the local MP, the developer, the VTHC and representatives of the protest group.
They should convene a meeting of the Local Council, the local MP, the developer, the VTHC and representatives of the protest group.
All of the parties
should be working towards a resolution, and we commit ourselves to participate constructively
in that process.
The latest
With
all preparatory work stopped and protesters on the roof day and night,
McDonalds has gone back to the Supreme Court for an injunction against the
“trespassers” and damages for delays in the work. No doubt this will soon be
backed up with armed police and a busload of scabs – business as usual.
If
McDonalds hopes that the local residents will give in to these threats, they are
dreaming. The hills are alive with the sound of “Burgeroff!”
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Further Reading:
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Further Reading:
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