Wednesday, 22 February 2023

 Colin BROOKS (Bundoora – Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:14): It gives me great pleasure to update the house on the progress of the Andrews Labor government’s Big Housing Build and how we are creating more social and affordable housing and delivering jobs for Victorians right across the state. We are investing $5.3 billion to deliver more than 12 000 new social and affordable homes – the single biggest investment of any state or territory across the country and the biggest in this state’s history. We are on track, with more than 7500 homes either complete or underway. This means more vulnerable Victorians will have access to the housing that they need.

Recently I joined the member for Footscray to kick off work at a great social housing development, with 49 new homes and over 200 jobs to be created. A couple of days before that I joined the member for Bentleigh to open 120 homes in Cheltenham, with more social housing and nearly 500 jobs – I think he is outside telling people about it now. And I joined the member for Point Cook announcing $50 million for youth housing as part of the Big Housing Build right across the state from Werribee to Wodonga.

We know the former Liberal housing minister said that we should not build social housing in places like Brighton because kids from social housing would not have the right sneakers or iPhones. We rejected that sort of thinking, and we are delivering 299 dwellings right there in Brighton. The construction workers we speak to at these sites are on board because they know that the Big Housing Build is creating 10,000 jobs a year, with $1.25 billion of this investment in regional Victoria creating 2500 jobs across our regions.

At the last election Victorians had a choice between a government that gets things done and unapologetically, unreservedly backs and delivers social and affordable housing and the jobs that it delivers. The alternative was a vote for those who run down social housing, who cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the housing budget and who have a record of opposing social and affordable housing. The Big Housing Build was on the ballot at the last election and the people voted for more social and affordable housing and the jobs that it delivers.