Thursday, 31 July 2025

Housing

Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (17:29): (1237) The action I seek is that the Minister for Housing and Building immediately halt all public housing demolition activities until the inquiry into the government’s plan has delivered its final report. The inquiry into Labor’s demolition and privatisation of public housing has received over 800 submissions and has heard powerful testimony from residents, legal advocates, service providers and housing experts. The evidence so far is clear and it is harrowing, with residents forced to sign relocation agreements under duress, misled about their right to return and moved into inadequate, unaffordable, privately managed housing they never agreed to. Residents have been told, ‘You take this offer, or you’ll miss out. You’ll end up homeless if you don’t sign.’ This is not informed consent.

Members interjecting.

Gabrielle DE VIETRI: You do not believe it? Nor did I, but we have heard it from resident after resident. It is coercion, and it is happening across the board. And despite this inquiry being underway right now, predemolition works are going ahead in Richmond, Flemington and North Melbourne.

A member interjected.

Gabrielle DE VIETRI: That is right, soil testing, while people are still living in the buildings. Residents were terrified as the floors shook from drilling happening inside vacant apartments next to them – people in hazmat suits visiting their building, cherry pickers, fences torn down, boreholes drilled, playgrounds destroyed, police on site. This is not how you treat people in their homes. This is not listening to residents and this is not giving them choice. Tenants associations representing the residents have written to Homes Victoria, to the Minister for Housing and Building and to the Premier pleading with them to cease these distressing predemolition works while residents are still living in the building.

Everyone can see this is causing immense and irreparable damage to the people, to the communities and to the public housing system that so many people rely on. That is why this community is coming together, with people turning up at the crack of dawn to support residents who are distressed, putting their bodies on the line to stop the works with peaceful, nonviolent direct action. They have turned away machines, stopped surveyors and prevented drilling in preparation for demolition, and they will continue to show up in force to stop this government and its disastrous privatisation project – a project which becomes less viable and more toxic with every passing day. That is why this project must be stopped immediately. No more predemolition works next to people’s homes, no more ignoring the pleas of residents who simply want to stay in their communities. This is their home, not a construction site and not a profitable development opportunity. The minister must act now and stop the demolition.