They have banded together to oppose McDonalds’ plans to build a 24 hour outlet with drive-through on the main road through Tecoma opposite a primary school. The site is the old Hazel Vale Dairy building.

 

The Dandenong Ranges surrounding Tecoma, with a population of less than 3000 residents, is a temperate rainforest region with National Parks and dense ferny undergrowth through the hills and valleys. It attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and day-trippers. Its natural beauty is one of the main attractions close to Melbourne.

 

McDonalds’ initial planning application met with 1170 written objections from people concerned with traffic flow, litter, noise, crime, the impact on existing businesses, proximity to schools and especially the fact that such a venture was out of character with the area. There are no 24 hour fast food outlets with drive-through in the whole of the Dandenong Ranges.   

 

The Shire of Yarra Ranges Council met in October 2011 and, supported by the 650 local residents in attendance, voted unanimously to reject McDonalds’ application.     

 

Undeterred by hostile residents and the Council ruling, McDonalds then trotted off to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) which sat on things for a year and then, in October 2012, overruled the Council’s decision, and further insulted the residents by classing their objections as “irrelevant”.

 

VCAT is an agency of the state government and seemingly an independent body to arbitrate on the legality of planning issues. In reality its major function is to override objections from residents, small businesses and others affected by the schemes of the big developers and monopoly business interests. 

 

Taking the side of a foreign multinational like McDonalds is only to be expected. Ideas of justice, fairness, consideration of residents, etc. mean little against the class interests of capitalist private enterprise and profit-making.

 

A few days later, nearly 600 residents met and organised a ‘Community Garden’ at the proposed site and maintained a 24 hour vigil until evicted by the police in November 2012. Again, the forces of the state were used to enforce the ‘legal rights’ of monopoly capitalist business. 

 

The avenue of seeking a Supreme Court appeal against the VCAT ruling was investigated by the community, but on this occasion a majority of the Yarra Ranges Councillors baulked at the likely expense. Seeking justice and legal redress is really only for the rich and powerful, and is designed that way by the rich and powerful.

 

A delegation directly appealed to the Minister for Planning Matthew Guy, but their arguments changed nothing.

 

Having exhausted all the legal window-dressing the system has to offer, the residents set about a determined policy of building wide support and confronting the McDonalds juggernaut.

 

They door-knocked every household and conducted a survey, which asked, “Are you for or against the proposed McDonald’s development in Tecoma?” Those against totalled 1085 households (88%), with 86 (7%) who didn’t know or didn’t care, and only 59 (4.8%) in favour. The campaign was attracting support from all over Australia and overseas, as social media spread the news.

 

In February this year, even the local gnomes left the forest and staged a “Gnomeageddon” outside McDonalds’ headquarters in Melbourne!

 

And on March 2nd, a massive crowd of 3000 Hills residents and supporters from all over Melbourne marched from Belgrave to Tecoma to show their opposition.

 

All this time, a number of courageous volunteers had been huddled on the roof of the dairy building, preventing its demolition – huddled because it’s freezing cold in the Dandenongs during winter! 

 

One of these hardy souls, Janine Watson, celebrated her 50th birthday on the roof and offered some birthday cake to McDonald’s security guards. In a shocking display of thuggery, they pulled her down, hitting the top of the fence, and causing cuts and bruises and two broken fingers. Yet another (private) arm of state going about its “lawful” business!

 

With the support of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, building workers then walked off the site altogether. The VTHC released a statement which read in part…

 

"The Building Industry Group meeting today convened by the Victorian Trades Hall Council resolved to support the rights of the Tecoma community to protest against what they believe inappropriate development.

 

"Building workers in Victoria have a proud tradition of protecting those things that make this state great. All Victorians are able to enjoy the City Baths, the Melbourne Market and the magnificent Regent Theatre because building workers refused to demolish these treasures.

 

"In Tecoma, passionate local protesters are committed to preventing what they see as inappropriate development.

Further, we do not believe that it is reasonable to put building workers in the middle of such a heated debate.

 

"We seek that the Victorian Government take a proactive approach to resolving this dispute. They should convene a meeting of the Local Council, the local MP, the developer, the VTHC and representatives of the protest group.

 

"All of the parties should be working towards a resolution, and we commit ourselves to participate constructively in that process."

 

With all preparatory work stopped and protesters on the roof day and night, McDonalds has gone back to the Supreme Court for an injunction against the “trespassers” and damages for delays in the work. No doubt this will soon be backed up with armed police and a busload of scabs – business as usual.

 

If McDonalds hopes that the local residents will give in to these threats, they are dreaming. The hills are alive with the sound of “Burgeroff!”