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PUBLISHED IN MELBOURNE SINCE 1854 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 INC

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Baillieu’s In the eye of the storm, a man not easily pinned down

inner-city
TONY WRIGHT
‘‘THE thing you’ve got to remember
about Scott Morrison,’’ says a senior
Liberal, ‘‘is he’s a very ambitious man.’’
The opposition’s immigration
spokesman has also become the subject
of both loathing and admiration, the
touchstone of an ideological divide

revolution
within the Liberal Party since he shot to
the headlines this week for attacking
the government for flying relatives to
Sydney for the funerals of asylum
seekers killed in the boat tragedy at
Christmas Island in December.
He later admitted it was insensitive
to have raised the matter on the day of
the funerals, but yesterday he was
dismissing as ‘‘gossip’’ inquiries about a
Go-ahead for huge riverside suburb Sydney Morning Herald report — clearly
the subject of well-placed leaking by
anonymous colleagues — that he had
By SIMON JOHANSON towers, the Fishermans Bend urged shadow cabinet to capitalise on
PROPERTY EDITOR project would focus on more the electorate’s concerns about
affordable housing, he said. ‘‘Muslim immigration’’, ‘‘Muslims in
AN AREA more than twice the He said it was too early to Australia’’ and the ‘‘inability’’ of
size of Docklands is to be give a figure on the number of Muslims to integrate.
opened up for inner-city hous- houses to be built. The style and Morrison’s colleague, finance
ing under an ambitious plan to density of development would spokesman Andrew Robb, felt he could
be launched within months by be determined in the planning not observe shadow cabinet solidarity.
the Baillieu government. The Kennett government stage, with precinct structure It was, Robb said, outrageous that
About 200 hectares of land had a vision for Docklands, and development plans to be Morrison had been deliberately taken
around Fishermans Bend — the Cain government saw [a finalised in the next four years. out of context — he had, insisted Robb,
now a light-industrial area of vision for] Southbank — and Land would be rezoned and been seeking a constructive way to
factories and vacant lots near now the Baillieu government incentives provided to encour- confront growing community antagon-
West Gate Bridge — is to be has a vision for Fishermans age residential development. ism towards Muslims.
transformed into a suburb Property Council of Victoria To some, like Robb and Morrison’s
housing tens of thousands of Bend.’ MATTHEW GUY chief executive Jennifer Cunich close friend and shadow cabinet col-
people. said if the government managed league Greg Hunt, the immigration
Planning Minister Matthew Naming urban renewal as to redevelop up to 200 hectares, spokesman is a compassionate man
Guy has told The Age he will the new government’s biggest depending on the density of the who agonised for months that asylum
establish an Urban Renewal planning challenge, Mr Guy said buildings, as many as 10,000 to seekers would die on their perilous
Authority in the next four Fishermans Bend would evolve 15,000 dwellings could be built. journey by boat to Christmas Island and
months to oversee a 20 to as ‘‘Australia’s first inner-city ‘‘Fishermans Bend, the then wept when it happened.
30-year plan for the area. growth corridor’’, exceeding the whole precinct there, is the most To others, mainly anonymous, he is
‘‘The Kennett government nearby Docklands development obvious next phase . . . but we a contradiction in political terms: a man
had a vision for Docklands, the in size and scope. need to start talking about how who, having relied on support for his
Cain government saw [a vision ‘‘This is a revolutionary many homes we are putting into political start from Liberal moderates in
for] Southbank — and now the concept,’’ Mr Guy said. ‘‘In the the marketplace,’’ said Ms his southern Sydney electorate of Cook,
Baillieu government has a vision past governments have only Cunich, adding that Victoria has played a major role in pushing the
for Fishermans Bend,’’ Mr Guy viewed growth corridors was delivering 6000 fewer Coalition to the hard right on asylum-
said. through the prism of outer homes than needed each year. seeker policy.
‘‘It’s a big challenge and it urban growth. Mr Guy said development of The former member for Morrison’s
will be a big legacy, but it’s one I ‘‘The Baillieu government the area would take up to three seat, leading Liberal progressive Bruce
think we have to get right now.’’ sees the opportunity to stra- decades. It would not encroach Baird, who had backed Morrison’s
He said it would be ‘‘a suburb tegically place Melbourne as on the Webb Dock facilities at candidature, described his successor as
of high-density accommodation being the first city to have an the end of Williamstown Road "basically a nice guy who made the
that is unlike anywhere we’ve inner-city growth corridor and but it would include the E- Gate wrong call [about asylum seekers and
seen in Australia’’. that [Fishermans Bend] is an precinct opposite. their funerals], and I think he’s learnt his
The project fits in with the area with a large enough parcel ‘‘We don’t have a vision for a lesson’’.
government’s stated policy of of land to do that.’’ suburb of multimillion-dollar But Baird worried that the contro-
refocusing some urban growth Unlike the Docklands pro- apartments,’’ Mr Guy said. ‘‘We versy could be symptomatic of some-
from Melbourne’s fringes to its ject, which placed large com- have a vision of a suburb that is thing deeper within the Liberal Party.
heart — a policy that state- mercial buildings with tenants a genuine growth area for Mel- Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison is confronted by a refugee advocate in Sydney yesterday. PICTURE: AAP Continued PAGE 6
owned developer VicUrban is to such as the ANZ and NAB banks bourne which can offer people a
be involved in implementing. alongside residential apartment Continued PAGE 4

Book chains in salvage bid

Senior Lib tries to defuse Muslim row
By TONY WRIGHT gested the Coalition capitalise
‘A high level leaker has
By ELI GREENBLAT, and will rattle the confidence of internet, especially from sites in
and MICHELLE GRATTAN ORPHAN taken a shot at the
on growing concerns about
‘‘Muslim immigration’’, ‘‘Mus-
JASON STEGER
and CHRIS ZAPPONE
other bookshop owners.
Angus & Robertson has 103
United States that can deliver
discounts of up to 50 per cent to
SENIOR Liberal MP Andrew
Robb has taken the extraordin- TO BE immigration spokesman
and the opposition has been
lims in Australia’’ and the ‘‘inab-
ility’’ of Muslims to integrate.

AUSTRALIANS’ blossoming love

stores affected by the move to
voluntary administration,
Australian shoppers.
The growing popularity of
ary step of breaking shadow
cabinet confidentiality to RELEASED spectacularly
Mr Morrison refused to dis-
cuss the detail of the meeting,
affair with online shopping is
catching up with the old world
although a further 61 franchises
will not be affected.
the internet has been fuelled by
the recent strength of the Aus-
defend embattled immigration
spokesman Scott Morrison from WITHIN splattered with
the mud.’
citing shadow cabinet confiden-
tiality, but declared: ‘‘The gossip
of traditional bookselling, with
Borders and 125-year-old chain
There are also 26 Borders
stores in Australia, nearly half of
tralian dollar against the green-
back, as well as the advent of
allegations he urged the opposi-
tion to capitalise on anti- DAYS MICHELLE
GRATTAN
today doesn’t reflect my views
today or at any other time.’’
Angus & Robertson placed into which are in Victoria, at Cam- e-books and e-readers, making Muslim sentiment. Mr Abbott and frontbenchers
voluntary administration last berwell, Carlton, Chadstone, it harder for bricks-and-mortar As the Coalition reeled from PAGE 6 PAGE 6 stoutly defended Mr Morrison.
night. Doncaster, Geelong, Highpoint, shops to compete. the latest in a series of damaging ‘‘There’s no one who is a more
But the stores are still expec- Knox, Melbourne Central, South That competitive pricing rows, Mr Robb went public to Mr Robb said. ‘‘He [Mr Mor- Labor called for Mr Morris- bench rather than being on Mr decent and a more compassion-
ted to open as normal today and Wharf and South Yarra. pressure eventually forced the insist Mr Morrison had been rison] said the opposite of what on’s sacking from the front- Abbott’s frontbench’’. ate and a more sensitive person
gift vouchers will be honoured. With its large-store format, hand of Borders’ owners late deliberately misinterpreted. the reports are interpreting.’’ bench. Prime Minister Julia The row erupted after a in public life,’’ Mr Abbott said.
The failure of the group, staff and high overheads such as yesterday when REDgroup ‘‘I don’t normally speak The controversy forced Gillard said Mr Abbott should report in The Sydney Morning Frontbenchers had a variety
which also owns New Zealand’s rent and utilities, bookshops appointed Ferrier Hodgson as about shadow cabinet discus- Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to ‘‘say to Mr Morrison . . . he’s not Herald yesterday said that Mr of interpretations on what Mr
Whitcoulls books and stationery such as Borders have been voluntary administrators to its sions, but he’s been so demon- reaffirm that the Coalition ‘‘will prepared to follow him down Morrison, during a December Continued PAGE 6
stores, puts in doubt more than undercut by vastly cheaper stable of bookshops. stratively taken out of context I always have a non-discriminatory this grubby path and Mr Mor- shadow cabinet discussion of Crying out for change PAGE 11
2500 jobs, mainly in Australia, books and DVDs sold on the Continued PAGE 2 feel I have to say something,’’ immigration policy’’. rison should go to the back- issues for political attack, sug- Michelle Grattan PAGE 13

WEATHER MELBOURNE DAMS ODD SPOT INDEX ISSN 0312-6307

MELBOURNE Late rain 19 — 27 MILDURA Rain 21 — 29 More bad news for Romania’s beleaguered witches. A ARTS PAGE 15 TRIBUTES PAGE 10
BALLARAT Rainy
BENDIGO Rain periods
GEELONG Late rain
HORSHAM Rain
15
17
17
18
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24
27
26
26
SALE Shower or two
WARRNAMBOOL Rain
17 — 22
16 — 23
WODONGA Late showers 18 — 29
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48.3
54.1%
A YEAR AGO:
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35.5%
month after authorities began taxing them for their
trade, the country’s soothsayers and fortune tellers
are cursing a new bill that threatens fines or even jail
if their predictions don’t come true.
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