INDEPENDENT - Tracee Hutchison

Firstly, I acknowledge the 60,000-year custodianship of the Bunurong people of the Eastern Kulin nation – whose connection and care for country, land and skies is ongoing. I acknowledge this land and First Nations Sovereignty was never ceded, and this place always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

I also acknowledge the impact and dispossession of the original custodians has irreparably compromised the health and wellbeing of our natural systems – and the ongoing challenges of 250 years of changed land use.
I am committed to framing First Nations custodianship and care for country in how we look at land management, protection of endangered species and ecosystems.

Q. What is your view of the State Government’s current climate change policy, in particular, its targets for transition to renewables, reduction in carbon emissions, and protection of endangered species and ecosystems? Please make specific reference to the importance of these for the Mornington Peninsula?

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REPLY: 

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The Victorian Government's 2026–30 climate policy is one of the most ambitious in the country and I support its aspiration to focus on rapid energy transitions to meet Paris Agreement goals designed to keep global warming targets under 2degrees Celsius. I commend the positioning of Victoria as a national leader, with a Net Zero emissions target by 2045, and interim targets of 45-50% by 2030, and 75-80% by 2035 – and the strategies that are already underway including the gas phase-out in households, subsidised solar and batteries to incentivise electrification to achieve 95% renewable energy by 2025 and protecting biodiversity through the Biodiversity 2037 Plan.

Key to localised initiatives in Nepean is the intersect with the hardworking, dedicated and long-established local environment groups – including current members of the PCA and other orgs/entities – and the MPShire, which is currently (re)developing its Climate Resilience Plan, after scrapping it in 2025, along with the Climate Emergency Declaration. In an electorate as vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal surge as Nepean, the local Council is and will be a critical part of the mitigation and climate-action strategy.

I will be a strong voice for the restoration of the Climate Emergency Declaration at MPShire and tabled a submission to the MP Shire Climate Resilience Plan as part of the Council’s community consultations earlier this year.

The protection of endangered species and ecosystems is central to the UNESCO Biosphere and RAMSAR wetland overlays we are internationally recognised for in Nepean should remain a central reference to planning decisions that impact or compromise the natural environment we cherish about this place. In particular ensuring the Southern Peninsula Biolink is prioritised above the extension of a freeway through the Tootgarook Wetlands, identification, advocacy and protection of koala and wildlife corridors, and fighting to reverse the Allan Labor Government’s decision to develop a rollercoaster track down the side of Arthurs Seat – a campaign I have been involved in for over a decade and which poses direct threat to wildlife, habitat, fire and landslide risk – are on my priority list.

Additionally, marine sanctuaries at Mushroom Reef and Port Phillip Heads that take in Pope’s Eye and Portsea Hole are also intrinsically linked to land management ecosystems and the impact of climate change.

As we are surrounded by coastline, Nepean is one of the most vulnerable electorates to sea level rise and coastal surge in the State – and we have already seen the impact with coastal erosion in Portsea front beach where the beach has been washed away (predicated when we campaigned against the channel deepening 20 years ago) & Gunnamatta where the beach access steps have been washed away. We are seeing water stress in vegetation, trees dropping limbs in damaging winds, extreme heat and extreme cold-stress for wildlife and increasing weather extremes impacting daily life. We are due a significant bushfire in Nepean, which is inevitable.

Prioritising risk mitigation, emergency preparedness and place-based adaptation will become a necessity as the impact of changing climate becomes omnipresent locally and sea-level rise continues to impact on significant infrastructure on the Southern Peninsula.

I am committed to supporting community-led initiatives like the Flinders Community Battery to enable community-led, place-based change in Nepean and identify other local Nepean communities where similar concepts could be adopted as part of localised transition to Net Zero by 2050, or sooner.

Nepean also has the oldest demographic in Victoria – with significant pockets of economic disadvantage. These are significant and prohibitive factors in the phase out of gas and transition to renewables and will need proactive support – including education and financial assistance – to achieve our own net zero targets locally.

As a Founding member and Founding Executive Committee member of the Peninsula Climate Alliance, I understand and appreciate the critical role the PCA will continue to play in advocacy, education and engagement on the issues intersecting climate change policy, in particular, its targets for transition to renewables, reduction in carbon emissions, and protection of endangered species and ecosystems.

As the State MP for Nepean, I will continue to build on existing relationships with the PCA, seek regular meetings and advocacy opportunities with local environment groups, make representation to the MPShire to restore the Climate Emergency Declaration and restore grant funding to localised climate and environment groups that we campaigned together for in 2025, advocate for clear objectives around achieving Net Zero in the same timeline as the State Government (2045) through a range of local initiatives and incentives – including energy consumption, waste, water usage and procurement - and ensure decision-making at Council is framed through a Net Zero lens to ensure it meets its own "Towards a Net Zero Peninsula" goals, including transitioning to a 100% zero-emissions council fleet by 2030 and expansion of EV charging stations.

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Q. The Mornington Peninsula has outstanding natural qualities, thanks to its extensive coastline and iconic Green Wedge, which:

• Supports the greatest biodiversity of any similar area across the state

• Supports a major farm to table industry

• Provides a recreational outlet for a large number of Melbourne residents and tourists each year

• Contains internationally important wetlands, including some of which are listed or under consideration for listing under the Ramsar convention

• Forms part of to the United Nations ‘Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere’.

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In your view, how can the biodiversity and unique environment of the Mornington Peninsula best be protected and restored, and how would you work to ensure this? Please specifically address:

• Green Wedge protection

• Protecting our outstanding biodiversity

• Adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, and

• Reducing greenhouse emissions and moving towards a renewable future.

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REPLY: 

Green Wedge protection
Consultation with First Nations custodian and rangers will be an ongoing reference point for me in framing responses to the challenges and strategies for protection, restoration and preservation of our natural environment. More broadly, as we face growing tension points around the intersection of growing population, demand on land use and impact of climate change - strategies for the protection and restoration of the unique biodiversity of the Mornington Peninsula will require a whole-of-community approach. Drawing on existing organisations, expertise and thinking - to inform planning controls, strengthening biodiversity corridors and commitment to a net-zero future that ensures sustainable, liveable planet.
 

Protection of the Green Wedge, which makes up 70% of the Shire – and probably higher percentile in Nepean electorate – is critical to maintaining our natural environment and the international overlays that recognise the unique value and natural heritage of the Southern Peninsula. Specifically, through the preservation of existing urban growth boundaries and managing existing sub-division policies that currently protect rural land development and fragmentation - both significant tension points, particularly with land tax issues for landholders – will need careful and considered oversight, consultation and support for landowners and stakeholders who invest in conservation. Key to this preservation is the Metro overlay of the Mornington Peninsula to ensure planning overlays strictly limit urban development and protect rural land for agricultural, environmental and recreational use. I am strongly in favour of maintaining the Metro overlay – but understand the tension points this creates for the disproportionate taxes our business pays, particularly due to the seasonal nature of our visitor economy. We need new thinking around this taxation disparity to ensure economic considerations co-exist with the environmental protections that are so critical to preserving the essence of the Southern Peninsula.

Over 8 million people visit the Mornington Peninsula every year – overwhelming our visitors come to enjoy our internationally renowned natural environment, our walking trails and nature-based tourism, and sample our world class produce that supports our farm to table agribusiness sector. While visitations are critical to our local economy – it also places increasing stress on our natural environment. Development and support of low-impact nature-based tourism that supports our natural environment – not further compromise it – will be the kinds of tourism I will champion. Our local producers, farmers and landholders are at the frontline of the impact of weather extremes and changing climate and have been the first to sound the alarm on the impact on food security. This is already an issue for growers and producers in Nepean and will continue to challenge crop and economically viability for our primary producers. I will listen, consult and advocate for the expert-led advice on how we support our primary producers as they face a rapidly changing environment to ensure food security and viability of our farming community locally. Protection of at-risk wildlife corridors and habitat areas are already priorities for many stakeholder organisations in the PCA – working with these groups to support their work will be critical to build resilience and biodiversity through vegetation and habitat corridors – and I will continue to support and champion this work.
 

As we are surrounded by coastline, mitigation to the impact of our changing climate is key – and ensuring upgrades of coastal infrastructure to ensure drains and roads withstand increase storm surges, coastal erosion, extreme weather events will continue to place financial pressures on our capacity to respond. We are already seeing key infrastructure and residential areas in Nepean under serious risk of subsidence due to rising sea levels, and tidal surge – including sections of the Nepean Highway and the current site of Rosebud Hospital, for example. Mapping and forecasting is telling us we need to be acting now on what some of these key transport routes and infrastructure need to look like, and I am ready to play an active role in those mitigation, preparation and planning conversations. Pro-active strategies and, nature-based solutions and mitigation through planting, restoration and preservation of mangrove, salt marsh and sea grass to manage coastal inundation – and supporting the work of environmental groups/PCA member organisations doing this work including the Nepean Conservation Group, SPIFFA, Friends of the Biolink and the Westernport Biosphere - must form a necessary part of our preparation, mitigation and response strategies. Science-based decision making, education, engagement and support for the incredible existing conservation and environment groups, the community stewardship and the various Friends’ groups is all key to ensuring we maintain the international overlays of the UNESCO Biosphere, the existing Ramsar wetlands on the Westernport and under consideration in Tootgarook. I will continue to advocate for protections and preservation strategies.

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Q. What is your position on industry and development across the Green Wedge and in Western Port, given our Ramsar and UNESCO recognition? Please include an indication of the types of development you consider to be appropriate for this area.

REPLY:

There is an ever-present tension point between environmental overlays of the Green Wedge, the UNESCO Biosphere and RAMSAR recognition – currently in-play with the VRET proposal and other encroachments to the Green Wedge with pressure on landholders to advocate for subdivision due to increasing land tax burdens through the hinterland, in particular, currently protected by the Metro-status overlay.

We need to ensure the current protections remain in place, to maintain not just the beauty and uniqueness of our natural environment, but to ensure heat/cold regulation of the tree canopy, biodiversity corridors and habitat preservation that is already under significant threat/risk more broadly across the Peninsula.

As the member for Nepean, I will be a fierce advocate for the environmental protections that support our unique and precious natural environment, and ensure anything approved meets strict State and Federal environmental laws. We also need to ensure planning
regulations serve the best interest of the natural environment – and the ecosystems it supports. Unfortunately, as we’ve just seen with the approval of the rollercoaster/luge track at Arthurs Seat, the State Labor Government just set aside a suite of environmental considerations to approve an inappropriate development in a publicly-owned State Park – which places direct threat to wildlife and habitat and poses significant risk of fire and landslide. I will continue to fight to have that decision reversed as the State MP for Nepean.
 

Q. If elected, how would you act to consult with, and support the work of community environmental groups on the Mornington Peninsula?
 

REPLY:

As a founding member of the Peninsula Climate Alliance – and the original catalyst for bringing the climate/environment groups together in the Save Our Arts/Save Our Climate Plan campaign which I led outside Council and the public meeting in Flinders in response to MPShire budget cuts in 2025 – my commitment to engagement, consultation, support, listening and amplifying the issues and concerns of community environment groups on the Mornington Peninsula is considerable, demonstrable and longstanding – dating back to my involvement in the channel deepening campaign twenty years ago and my decade-long involvement in the Save Our Seat campaign at Arthurs Seat.

If elected, I will continue to do what I have done in this community for over two decades – show up, listen, engage, support, amplify and advocate at every opportunity, and initiate and champion community-led outcomes to preserve and protect our natural environment.
I commit to convening regular community dialogues to support community-led initiatives aimed at reducing our environmental footprint and will continue my well established and ongoing relationships with PCA member organisations as the member for Nepean. I will continue to make myself available to attend PCA and campaign-specific events & meetings and ensure I am regularly briefed on Peninsula Climate Alliance issues / concerns via the Chair and/or executive so I can stay across local environmental issues and campaigns.

I look forward to staying in touch on these important local issues and support the vital work of PCA member orgs like Landcare tree-plantings, Hand in Hand for the Coast to protect and preserve the integrity of our beaches, the VRET decision and how that impacts the RAMSAR wetland/UNESCO Biosphere overlays in the Nepean, the work of SKOMP and MP Koala Conservation Group in the preservation of habitat corridoes, engagement w/Flinders Zero Carbon and Repower on community-led initiatives to meet Net Zero targets at a local level, the important work Nepean Conservation Group, SPIFFA & Friends of the Peninsula Biolink’s advocacy around the Southern Peninsula Biolink, and other groups like Save Our Seat, the Shoreham Bushland and Road Reserves & Shoreham Foreshore Group building resilient habitat and vegetation corridors, and will remain open to dialogue and discussion as to how I can best support other community-led initiatives in the electorate to encourage community-led climate action, and a broad range of activities & campaigns I have longstanding engagement with and look forward to giving greater prominence if afforded the opportunity as the State Member for Nepean.

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