Tuesday, 5 March 2024

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Planning. Last week the Minister for Environment stated that, if everybody who had the eligibility to build a granny flat did that tomorrow, we would have 700,000 homes overnight. Is the Labor government relying on 700,000 Victorians to build a granny flat in their backyard to fix Victoria’s housing crisis?

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Minister for Planning, Minister for the Suburbs) (14:10): I thank the member for his question. Let us get something straight: you do not get more affordable homes by blocking them, and that is exactly what we have seen from those opposite. Whether it is blocking them in Hawthorn, whether it is blocking them in Brighton or pushing people out to the fringes where they cannot –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I understand the minister is embarrassed by today’s numbers, but that was not the question that I asked.

The SPEAKER: The member for Brighton knows that that is not a point of order. I ask the minister to come back to answering the question.

Sonya KILKENNY: The way you get more affordable homes is by setting a target. It is by working with industry, alongside local government, alongside communities –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bulleen can leave the chamber for half an hour. The minister will be heard in silence.

Member for Bulleen withdrew from chamber.

Sonya KILKENNY: It is working with industry, alongside community, alongside local government. It is working across government to pull the levers available to us to get the conditions right to ensure that those conditions are best to enable industry to get on with the job and build more homes for Victorians where they want to live – close to family and friends, close to jobs, schools and services – not pushing people out to the fringes, not saying, ‘No, not in Brighton. Not in my area, not in Hawthorn,’ not by blocking them. It is about identifying where we need to build these homes. It is about working with local government to ensure that people have housing choice and that we build more homes to make them more affordable.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Mildura can leave the chamber for an hour. The minister will be heard in silence.

Member for Mildura withdrew from chamber.

Sonya KILKENNY: It has been only five months since we released the landmark housing statement. That statement contains initiatives that show how we are going to build the 800,000 homes that Victorians need over the next decade. We have already seen with the development facilitation program, that streamlined pathway, thousands and thousands of homes in the preapplication stage. The interest from industry has been extraordinary. These are record levels of interest because the industry understands what needs to happen. That is why we are working in partnership with industry. It is not just about identifying the problem, it is about identifying how we address that problem and how we set out a plan to build the homes that Victorians need.

We are reforming the planning system. These are the biggest reforms that we have seen in generations, not only the development facilitation program but also working with councils to support them in unlocking that backlog that has been sitting there holding up these applications. We know we need to give certainty to the construction industry to create that pipeline so they can get on with the job of building more homes for Victorians.

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:14): I note the minister’s response that it is not a race to fix the housing crisis. How many new granny facts is this government relying on to meet its housing target?

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Minister for Planning, Minister for the Suburbs) (14:15): What a ridiculous question. We are on this side saying we have a housing crisis. We acknowledge there is a crisis. I understand those on the other side, the Liberals, have their own crisis – their own leadership crisis.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The disrespect being shown to members on their feet is outrageous.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I asked a very simple data-based question. If the minister does not know the answer, she is welcome to advise that to the house.

The SPEAKER: The Manager of Opposition Business knows how to raise a point of order. I will accept your point of order this time. The Minister for Planning will come back to answering the question.

Sonya KILKENNY: The Allan Labor government’s housing statement has set out initiatives and a plan for how we are going to deliver 800,000 homes over the next decade. It is not by blocking them; it is not by blocking the delivery of new homes. It is by working with industry, listening to industry, creating that certainty and that pipeline, reforming the planning system, providing ways –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, standing order 58 does require the minister to be direct in relation to answering the question. I asked for a data-based answer.

The SPEAKER: The minister rejected the premise of the question at the beginning of her answer.

Sonya KILKENNY: Those on the other side do not want to help solve this housing crisis. They are commentators on this. We are working with industry, alongside council, alongside communities, to deliver the 800,000 homes that Victorians will need over the next decade.