Thursday, 2 May 2024

Ministers statements: housing

Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Minister for Planning, Minister for the Suburbs) (14:16): The Allan Labor government is getting on with the job of building 800,000 more homes for Victorians over the next decade. We have made it easier to build a small second home. We are clearing the backlog of housing applications. We have been speaking with thousands of Victorians about our long-term housing plan and the plan for Victoria. We have already said yes to more than 6000 homes, including through our development facilitation program since the housing statement.

Richard Riordan interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Polwarth can leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Polwarth withdrew from chamber.

Sonya KILKENNY: And notwithstanding the mischief from those opposite, we are working closely with community on each and every one of these projects. We are pulling every lever to build more homes, because we know the best way to help Victorians get a home is to build more of them in the places Victorians want to live.

But not everyone shares this view. In a rather nasty twist, those opposite seem to think that blocking new homes will somehow make them more affordable. But indeed where are they blocking them? In places like their own backyards: Brighton, Hawthorn, Kew –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lara can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Lara withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, may I refer you to the wise rulings of Speaker Brooks from February 2018 and August 2019 that ministers statements are not an opportunity to simply attack the opposition.

The SPEAKER: I hope, Manager of Opposition Business, that that was not a reflection on the Chair. The Minister for the Suburbs had not mentioned the opposition in her contribution that I am aware of.

Sonya KILKENNY: Did I mention Brighton? They are blocking homes in Brighton. Those opposite are slamming the door in the faces of young Victorians, older Victorians and families, saying, ‘No, you can’t live in our communities,’ places that are transport rich with great access to jobs and services. There is a fitting word to describe this approach: immoral. I have to admit I did not come up with that word; credit goes to their very own Shadow Minister for Home Ownership and Housing Affordability, who said in his inaugural speech:

… it is immoral that large sections of our inner cities, flush with good transport, schools, health care and other infrastructure, remain almost flat, with obsolete overlays denying young Victorians a chance to buy their first home where they want to live.

I could not have put it better myself. Unlike those opposite, we will not lock out Victorians from having a place to live and building the homes where they want to live.