Tuesday, 17 June 2025

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (19:15): (1187) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Premier, and the action I seek is for the Premier to amend the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 to formally recognise housing as a human right. I rise this evening to urge the Premier to principled action on one of Victoria’s most pressing and deeply entrenched challenges: the housing crisis. Across our state housing insecurity and homelessness are rising to unprecedented levels. This crisis is not abstract. It is visible in every electorate, from people sleeping in cars and couch surfing to families trapped in a cycle of unaffordable, insecure rentals. I have seen the impact firsthand. Over the past few months I have spent several mornings at Ringwood and Mitcham train stations speaking to people in my electorate who are struggling with housing insecurity. I have listened to heartbreaking stories from constituents, frontline workers, advocates and experts, people who deal every day with the consequences of a housing system that is not working. And the message is clear: we need to do more and we need to embed this commitment in law.

Since launching my campaign to enshrine the right to housing in the charter, I have hosted a housing panel with some of the leading voices in the sector: Rob Pradolin from Housing All Australians, Major Brendan Nottle from the Salvation Army and Cr Sarah McKenzie, the deputy mayor of the City of Yarra. This morning I tabled a petition in this place, signed by over 600 Victorians, calling for the right to housing to be recognised in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. Right now over 65,000 applications are on the waiting list for social housing in Victoria – 65,000 ‍applications waiting for the safety, dignity and stability that a home provides. The charter currently protects vital rights like equality before the law, protection from torture and freedom of expression. But it fails to include a right so foundational that it underpins all others: the right to a safe and secure place to live. Without this, governments can continue to treat housing as a policy preference, not a legal obligation.

Including housing as a human right in Victoria’s charter would change that. It would require all future bills brought before this place to be assessed for their impact on housing access, creating a new standard of accountability. As former Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bell AO KC rightly said, government is responsible beyond the given electoral cycle for ensuring access to decent housing. Amending the charter would embed this responsibility permanently, beyond political cycles or shifting priorities. It would ensure housing is treated as essential infrastructure, not a discretionary line item. It is time for Victoria to lead the way, and I call on the Premier to act to enshrine the right to housing in the charter and to guarantee that no Victorian is left without a place to call home.