Tuesday, 6 February 2024

Housing

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. Nakita from Echuca is an Indigenous mother with a three-year-old daughter. Her emergency accommodation expires this Friday. A local Indigenous support group has offered her a tent and told her to go down to the river. Ahead of the last election Labor promised that people like Nakita would have the safety, security and dignity of a home. Why are vulnerable Victorians like Nakita paying the price for Labor’s mismanagement of public housing?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:16): I thank the Leader of the National Party for his question, and I would hope he could afford Nakita and her daughter the dignity and respect of providing additional information to me and my office following question time in order for us to give Nakita and her daughter the dignity of following up this matter outside of this place.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Member for Polwarth!

Jacinta ALLAN: As I have said in this house previously, we have acknowledged that we need to build more homes in the suburbs of Melbourne, in regional cities like the one I represent in Bendigo and indeed in rural communities as well. I think it would serve women like Nakita and other families who are experiencing housing pressure, who are experiencing the difficulties and the challenges that come with housing vulnerability. The way we need to address that is to build more homes, looking, as we are doing through the housing statement, at using every single lever available to us to build more homes.

When it comes to having the dignity of a roof over your head, which the most vulnerable of Victorians need, they look to the state and federal governments to provide the funding and the support to build housing for them. That is why, despite the challenges of travelling through the federal Parliament thanks to the opposition of both the Liberal Party and the Greens, the federal government now have significant funding that is flowing to the states to build more social and affordable homes, which we are getting on and delivering. Indeed I was in Hawthorn just the other day looking at a social and affordable housing development that was opposed by the member for Hawthorn.

Peter Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, on the issue of relevance, this is a very concerning issue that I have raised in sincerity to get this resolved. The Premier is now effectively turning it into a debating point rather talking about how we get this issue solved for Nakita.

The SPEAKER: The question related to public housing. The Premier is being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: The Leader of the National Party I take at face value. He says he genuinely wants to work through these issues. In saying that, you have got to support every effort to build more social and affordable homes. You cannot stand up in this place and proclaim to support the building of more social and affordable homes and run out into your electorate and oppose it. It takes every effort, it takes leadership and it takes action to build more social and affordable housing across the state.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has concluded her answer.

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:20): If Nakita opts to live in a tent by the river, the Victorian government will take her three-year-old daughter away from her. This government has been in power for almost 10 years. In that time the rate per thousand of Indigenous children in out-of-home care has nearly doubled –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for South Barwon!

Peter WALSH: from 65 to 103.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Nationals can repeat his question without assistance.

Peter WALSH: If Nakita opts to live in a tent by the river, the Victorian government will take away her three-year-old daughter. This government has been in power for almost 10 years. In that time the rate per thousand of Indigenous children in out-of-home care has nearly doubled, from 65 to 103. Why do vulnerable Indigenous children and families continue to pay the price for Labor’s mismanagement?

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, I think the rules of debate at question time are quite clear in that the supplementary question should relate directly to the first question, which was about housing. Now the Leader of the Nationals is trying to introduce an entirely different topic, which is out-of-home care. I ask that you rule this supplementary question out of order.

The SPEAKER: I will rule the question in order. The first question did relate to public housing, but it also referred to Indigenous support and a particular person in the member’s electorate. The supplementary question also referred to that family in the electorate, and therefore I will allow the question to stand.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:22): In last year’s budget this government made the single biggest investment in Aboriginal-led child protection services this state has ever seen. We did this because we had a process –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!

Jacinta ALLAN: that had Aboriginal Victorians sitting at the table. Do you know what is going to make a difference about this approach? We have put self-determination and cultural safety at the core of this approach, because we know that decades of investment need a different approach to support Indigenous Victorians to achieve their very, very best. That is why the Leader of the National Party should stand up and support treaty, not behave in this disgraceful, deceitful way that we have seen perpetrated on the Victorian community in the past fortnight.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition, you are not immune to being removed from the chamber. I would ask that you wait for the call.

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, both questions are about the living conditions in which Nakita and her three-year-old child have to –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The Assistant Treasurer will come to order!

John Pesutto: This question was about Nakita and her three-year-old daughter living in conditions that no Victorian should have to contend with. The question was about what this government has to do to give her the dignity she deserves, and instead we get a Premier without any answers.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I would ask you to make your points of order succinctly. It is not an opportunity to make a statement. I will rule on your point of order on relevance. The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked. The Premier has concluded her answer.