Social and affordable housing
Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:14): My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. In responding to the government’s proposed legislation to exempt themselves from paying local government rates on residential properties they own, Ballarat Mayor Daniel Moloney said regional councils cannot recoup those losses in any way other than by raising rates. How is it fair that Ballarat ratepayers will have to pay higher rates because the Andrews government intends to exempt themselves from paying rates on their own properties?
Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:14): What is being proposed is: we want to put more funding into social housing to support the most isolated and disadvantaged members of our community. In terms of the cost, if you look at the rate base of the City of Ballarat relative to the number of social housing dwellings, the imposition is minimal. This is about making sure that we provide the necessary investment for the most isolated, vulnerable, disadvantaged members of the community, and it is consistently opposed by those opposite because they do not care. They do not care about the victims of family violence. They do not care about refugees or migrants or Indigenous Victorians. These are important, necessary reforms to create a great society, to create a just and fair society, and it is the right thing to do.
Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:15): The Bendigo city council have said that they will either raise residents’ rates or cut services to make up for the loss of revenue. Why should residents of Bendigo have to have a cut in council services such as libraries or maternal and child health care to make up for the shortfall in revenue from the Andrews government not paying rates on their own properties?
Mr PEARSON (Essendon—Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:16): I am advised that the cost is equivalent to about $6 per household per year starting in 2025. I think these are very modest impositions because of the greater social good that is created by supporting our public housing and our social housing tenants.