Greens fail to win support for bid to block Apple's Fed Square store

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Greens fail to win support for bid to block Apple's Fed Square store

By Adam Carey

An attempt to block the Andrews government’s deal with Apple to build a store in Federation Square has failed in parliament, clearing the way for the contentious retail development.

The Greens sought to disallow planning approval for the new Apple shop, which would require the demolition of the existing Yarra building, currently home to the Koorie Heritage Trust.

But the party was friendless in the upper house on Wednesday, its disallowance motion defeated by 34 votes to four, as Labor, the Coalition and the cross-bench combined to vote it down.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam (left) listens as Labor's Philip Dalidakis defends the Apple store in Parliament.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam (left) listens as Labor's Philip Dalidakis defends the Apple store in Parliament. Credit: Joe Armao

American tech giant Apple and the Andrews government have been in negotiations to build a shop in Federation Square for about two years but kept the talks secret until the project was confirmed five days before Christmas.

It will be one of just a handful of Apple “flagship stores” in the world, a two-storey, gold-toned glass pavilion that will replace one of Federation Square’s original buildings.

Apple and the government have both said the new building would create more open space in the public square and improve access between the square and the Yarra River waterfront.

But the decision to demolish part of a square that has become Melbourne’s unofficial civic meeting place has sparked a fierce backlash from some.

More than 95,000 people have signed three separate online petitions asking Labor to reverse its decision.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam moved the disallowance motion, and said the government was putting corporate interests ahead of the public interest.

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“You are protecting corporate and commercial interests and allowing commercialisation of our precious public space right across this state,” Dr Ratnam said at the conclusion of the upper house debate.

“We don’t need Apple to tell us that we are a great city of the world.”

Philip Dalidakis, the Minister for Innovation and one of the government's biggest backers of the project, argued during the debate that an Apple flagship store would make Melbourne "a global beacon for the tech sector", alongside San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Donald Bates, one of Federation Square's original architects, has also given his stamp of approval to the project.

Defenders of the project have also pointed out that Federation Square has not made a profit in the 15 years since it opened.

Liberal shadow planning minister David Davis said Labor had botched the planning process by failing to consult with the community.

“It’s a process which should have delivered an outcome which had been refined and improved by the government on the way through,” Mr Davis said.

“Instead of that, what we’ve had is a secretive process.”

An artist's impression of the new Apple flagship store to be built at Federation Square in Melbourne.

An artist's impression of the new Apple flagship store to be built at Federation Square in Melbourne.

But Mr Davis and his Coalition colleagues ultimately voted with the government on the motion.

Apple plans to open the store ahead of the Christmas trading period in 2020.

The government says the project will create 250 construction jobs and 200 ongoing jobs.

Meanwhile, debate continued in the upper house on another contentious Labor project: the $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel.

The Coalition and the Greens have both flagged their intention to combine to vote to revoke planning approval for the road project.

Labor has accused them of "economic vandalism" but insists it will use other measures to proceed with the project if approval is revoked.

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