Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Public housing

Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (14:02): My question is to the Premier. Premier, since 2018 19,686 families have joined the public housing waiting list. Despite promising to add 12,000 public housing properties by 2024, only 394 have been added. Why has this government broken its promise to Victoria’s most vulnerable?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): I thank the member for Polwarth for his question, and it is a delight to be able to talk about this government’s investment in public housing, in social and affordable housing and in building more homes right across Victoria. Now, the member for Polwarth went through a number of figures in his question. Let me share with the member for Polwarth and the chamber more broadly that as part of our $5.3 billion investment from 2020 we have already built 3000 homes right across Victoria. There are a further 4600 under construction, and you know what ‘under construction’ also means – it means jobs for people working in the construction industry as we head towards building homes as part of the Big Housing Build.

But we have not just invested $5.3 billion, as significant as that funding is. We have also added to that $1 billion for regional housing, and the member for Polwarth knows that out of that initial allocation we have already made a commitment to Colac. We have already made a commitment to Colac to build more homes out of that billion-dollar regional package, out of that $1 billion to regional –

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are building some in Rochester as well. It is okay, we are building them for you as well.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will come to order. The Leader of the Nationals will come to order. The house will come to order.

Peter Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was not about how much money was being invested, it was about how little houses were actually being built when it comes to the net growth. I would ask you to bring the Premier back to answering that question about how many houses have actually been built.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: Absolutely – talking about the funding that is being invested to build more homes because we need to invest the funding to be able to build more homes, just as you need to make sure that there is a pipeline for all those construction workers, workers in the housing industry, to be able to have the jobs in this important area. We are going to continue to push on to build more homes, particularly in the public housing area, particularly for Victorians who rely on the government to be the housing provider for them – for vulnerable Victorians who need the government to provide more housing for them. This is something that we have –

Richard Riordan: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the minister is going on about how many she has built. It is the net gain – you have spent $3.5 billion and got 394 –

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: I would be delighted, as we continue to make these investments in building more homes, as we work through the terms as we are with the housing statement and looking at bringing all the levers we have as a government to build more homes, if the member for Polwarth brings his voice and energy to support us through the legislative process, through the regulatory process, to getting out there and supporting the building of more homes right across Victoria – as I have said, we are already making those investments in Colac – because it needs all of us to work together to ensure that we are getting more homes built for more Victorians. As I have indicated, we are investing heavily and seeing thousands and thousands of homes being built through this investment.

Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (14:07): Figures released by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing reveal that the number of public housing bedrooms has fallen some 2733 since 2018. Why should Victorians suffer because this government cannot manage money, cannot manage projects and cannot manage public housing?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:07): We are not just building more homes through our investment; we are also building a different mix of homes. There is significant demand for one- and two-bedroom homes, which we are building, but I note it is very interesting that this question is coming from the member for Polwarth and not the Leader of the Opposition – probably because he is a little embarrassed that if he walked down Bell Street in Hawthorn –

A member interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: Sorry, Bills Street – but you still oppose it –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to order.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, this question related to a reduction of nearly 3000 bedrooms, and I ask you to bring the Premier back to that question.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, there is no point of order. The Premier was being entirely relevant to the question and answering it. The challenge has been of course that those on the other side are speaking so loudly and interjecting over the Premier that no-one is able to hear the answer.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: Again for the benefit of the member for Polwarth, the Big Housing Build – just that $5.3 billion, and we have since added to it – will see a 10 per cent uplift in the number of social homes across Victoria. The Leader of the Opposition has a record in his own electorate of opposing projects every step of the way that are about providing more homes.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will come to order! I would ask you to stop interjecting across the chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, standing order 118: imputations are disorderly.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has concluded her answer.