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The YIMBY plan to oust the NIMBYs from local councils
By Royce Millar and Rachael Dexter
Candidates in Melbourne’s upcoming council elections will be asked to pledge that they will not block apartment developments, as YIMBY and pro-housing groups seek to expand their clout in key inner-city areas.
With housing to be a key issue at the October local government elections, prominent group YIMBY Melbourne is preparing to work with other housing organisations to campaign “against the NIMBY calculus of local councils”.
The housing crisis and the record of councils in approving apartment developments – or not – is expected to be a focus point ahead of the coming municipal elections.Credit: Darrian Traynor
“All inner-city councils are going to be of interest to us – especially those who have been systematically suppressing the delivery of homes where people want to live,” YIMBY Melbourne leader Jonathan O’Brien told The Sunday Age.
“For the sake of all Melburnians, it is essential that pro-housing councillors are elected in Boroondara.”
O’Brien, an ALP member, said council candidates would be asked to sign a pledge to support housing that would add to housing diversity and choice in their municipalities.
The Melbourne YIMBY – or Yes In My Back Yard – group says it has members from across the political spectrum and is not interested in the party affiliation of council candidates.
O’Brien said the housing alliance would run a “marketing campaign” ahead of the election, identifying candidates it believed supported more housing. After the election, YIMBY plans to follow voting records and hold elected councillors to any housing promises made.
The group is also hoping to hold a forum for lord mayoral candidates, possibly at the Melbourne Town Hall.
National tenant advocacy organisation Better Renting confirmed it was in discussions with YIMBY and planning to focus on council elections in Victoria for the first time.
Better Renting executive director Joel Dignam said renters had not had a strong voice at local council level historically, pointing to a recent example at Parramatta local council in Sydney.
In April, the council was set to debate a motion calling for the state government to honour an election promise to end no-grounds eviction. The motion was put by a councillor – a renter – who had just been evicted from her home.
But 10 of the 14 councillors walked out of the chamber, saying they had a conflict of interest as they were landlords. The meeting lost quorum and the motion was never debated.
Dignam said his group wanted to see more renters running for council and renter concerns more a council priority.
The housing crisis and the record of councils in approving apartment developments – or not – is expected set to be a policy focus point across the municipal polls.
Planning Minister Sonya KilkennyCredit: Eamon Gallagher
Councils have been under pressure, with the state government, developers and groups such as YIMBY slamming them for blocking apartment developments.
Councils lost some planning authority in September when the government announced developers with larger housing projects that included affordable housing could bypass councils and go to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny for approval.
The Allan government is also considering stripping more planning powers from councils that do not meet proposed – and yet to be released – housing targets.
But councils have pushed back, saying they approve the vast majority of planning applications before them.
Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) president David Clark last month told The Age that merely approving more development would not ensure homes were actually built.
He noted that tens of thousands of approved planning permits across Melbourne had not been acted upon because of economic factors such as increased labour and materials costs.
Boroondara has previously stated that of the more than 1000 planning applications each year, it refuses only 3 to 4 per cent – about 30 to 40 applications.
This year’s elections are also likely to attract new candidates including from teal groups looking to run in eastern councils like Boroondara and Whitehorse. MAV has also flagged concern about fringe and conspiracy theorist candidates.
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