Accompanied by members of the Croydon Conservation Society, I attended a tour of Wantrina Health to view the Ecologically Sustainable Development principles that were incorporated into the building of the facility.

Wantirna Health includes a number of innovative sustainability features, including water tanks to capture and recycle up to 8.5 million litres of water from the roof of the structure, rain water gardens, indigenous planting that will require minimal watering and lighting that will automatically adjust according to the level of natural light.

Wantirna Health, which will provide palliative care and rehabilitation services for patients in Eastern Melbourne, must be congratulated for its strong focus on sustainability. This emphasis on sustainability sets a new standard for developments in the eastern suburbs and should serve as an example for other major projects, such as the proposed expansion of Eastland.

Due to current inadequacy of State Government planning legislation, which fails to mandate comprehensive sustainability ratings in developments, I will encouraging Eastland and its parent company, Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), to embrace sustainability principles within its development proposals.