“Delivery not on track”: Auditor-General’s review of Fishermans Bend development

Fishermans Bend – Australia's largest urban renewal project – is behind on delivering key upgrades and projects vital to its future, a new report has found. 

The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office has delivered a stark report outlining that many planned upgrades and projects remain incomplete, with some delayed or deferred for up to 21 years.

The Fishermans Bend Framework, released in 2018, set out the state government’s vision to transform the area into a sustainable cluster of precincts designed to collectively house and employ around 160,000 people.

The area was controversially rezoned in 2012 by then-Liberal Planning Minister Matthew Guy, sending land values soaring. However, the failure to purchase land in advance to secure sites for proposed infrastructure has put development on the back foot.

The plan is grounded in eight sustainability goals and promoted as an “unparalleled opportunity to be the leading example for environmental sustainability, liveability, connectivity, diversity and innovation.”

However, the audit found the agencies involved “are not on track to deliver all projects and outcomes outlined in the Framework as originally intended” and that “there is no evaluation methodology in place to measure progress against the Framework.”

The report noted that the original Framework specified “that 21 medium-term projects would be delivered by 2025. This was later revised down to 18,” adding that just “four of the medium-term projects have been completed.”

Since 2018, the audit found, only two schools, three parks or greenspaces, one road upgrade and two tram stop upgrades have been completed. It also highlighted that “key planning documents are in draft or yet to be completed six years after the Framework was released.”

Guy Naselli, president of the Fishermans Bend Business Forum and managing director of NSL Property Group, said the audit has “fuelled disappointment among owners and major stakeholders in the area,” highlighting a clear lack of communication between government and developers.

Mr Naselli likened the government’s planning of Fishermans Bend to “a dog chasing its own tail.”

Speaking about further delays and the deferral of vital transport projects, he said, “It’s another kick in the guts to investors, owners, occupiers and developers who have invested a lot of time, money and resources into the development.”

He also emphasised how vital transport was to the precinct’s future.

“Transport will be the significant needle mover for the area. You cannot have this amount of infrastructure and development without having a means for these occupants and residents to get to and from the area.”

Michael Buxton, Professor of Environment and Planning at RMIT, reiterated this message.

“It’s been an abject failure of the government not to anticipate and create the proper infrastructure to attract people to the areas where it wants them to live,” Prof Buxton said.

“The government doesn’t seem to understand that to attract people to new areas you must provide amenities.”

Prof Buxton described the domino effect of failed infrastructure planning as a “pathetic failure of the government to understand how the planning system and industry work.”

Both the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip have accepted the recommendations of the audit.

In a media release, Port Phillip Mayor Louise Crawford stated that the delivery of major public transport projects to the area, including a new tram and train line, “will be one of the biggest determinants of the success of Fishermans Bend.”

Similarly, Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell echoed that public transport projects were vital to the development’s future, urging the state government to “deliver on their commitments” to unlock the area’s potential.

Yet Mr Naselli remains hopeful for the future, invoking the 1989 Field of Dreams tagline: “Build it and they will come.”

Former Fishermans Bend Development Board chair Meredith Sussex said there was plenty to be proud of despite the precinct’s many setbacks.

“So proud of all that has been achieved in Fishermans Bend and the confidence in the future of the area displayed by so many – despite the naysayers,” Ms Sussex wrote in a recent LinkedIn post.

“Sure, there is much more to be done, but the Victorian Government, Port Phillip and Melbourne City councils, the Bunurong Land Council, the developers and all the staff involved have been fantastic in their ongoing commitment to working towards the shared vision of a 40-year project.”

“Particularly proud of the 6 Star, Green Star Community endorsement for Montague, the wonderful new schools and the surge of innovative businesses.”

“I really don’t understand why it seems so hard for some people to celebrate achievement while still making constructive criticism.”