The facilitation of religious worship as such cannot be regarded as constituting a significant adverse social effect under s 60(1)(f) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic); objections to the religious beliefs of others are not town planning objections. Section 60(1)(f) does not mandate an independent social impact assessment simply because objectors assert significant social effects. VCAT on merits review is entitled to rely on the absence of evidence of adverse social effects where there is an obvious evidentiary basis by reference to which objectors might reasonably have been expected to substantiate their case. The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) informs the construction of the objectives of planning and the meaning of 'significant social effects'.
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