By Tanya Faulkner
The mission to save Lake Knox has been extended.
The Knoxfield Development hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has been put on hold due to an overarching decision that was brought up in court.
Questions have been raised as to whether ‘Lake Knox’ can be deemed as a body of water under the Victorian Water Act 1989.
Knox Environmental Society (KES) president Richard Fallagher said it’s been a long process so far.
“It was decided earlier in the case that we would need to establish whether the lake is considered a body of water, so we’ve had Melbourne Water called in on the decision,” he said.
The submission started on Monday 4 September, and only finished on Thursday 7 September and has now been put on hold.
Mr Fallagher said it’s still a long road ahead for Knox, with more information to come.
“There have been a few complaints about the length of the hearing, however we made the point that some parties are dealing in the billions of dollars to fund their case, where we’re dealing in the thousands and might hit a wall from this,” he said.
KES are fundraising to help cover their legal fees, with a target of $120,000 needed to cover lawyer fees and expert witness fees.
Mr Fallagher said the hearing has been tough, and Development Victoria have been like a bull at the gate, asking relentless questions of their experts, however the case has been fair.
“The two members in charge have been excellent, they are very impressive, calm, fair and willing to give everyone a full hearing, I’m very impressed with them.
“Everyone has been doing a really good job to present their cases, it’s been a very interesting case and very respectful, even with a few digs here and there,” he said.
Whilst most of the community have been supportive of the cause, Mr Fallagher said there are locals who are very detached from the situation.
“We just need locals to help get behind us to save the lake.
“It’s a public hearing if anyone wants to come and listen in or show their support, they can come and speak to us at the nursery, or help us raise funds by sending in a donation,” he said.
Mr Fallagher’s key takeaways from the hearing so far is the amount of time and effort that goes in, and the dedication behind those trying to save the lake.
“It’s been tricky having lawyers and key experts involved, it’s making the process longer and harder for the community to get involved, but everyone is dedicated to the cause,” he said.
The hearing will resume with a practice day hearing on Monday 25 September to see if Melbourne water has made a decision on the status of Lake Knox before the hearing can resume.
The VCAT hearing is due to resume in mid-October depending on the decision made by Melbourne Water in the coming weeks.
