Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Prahran electorate housing

Rachel WESTAWAY (Prahran) (20:48): (1278) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Housing and Building. I would like to ask: when will the minister address the security and maintenance issues pertaining to 150 Inkerman Street, St Kilda, home to several public housing residents in my electorate? I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful people in this housing estate. They took me for a tour of their homes. I had lunch with them. They were so hospitable, but from the moment that I walked in the door they expressed concerns about the lack of interest from the current government.

They said that there is graffiti as you walk in the door, which I experienced and I saw. It was right on the front of the building. The lights were dismantled and kicked in. When you walk into the entrance there is graffiti all over the front entrance and inside the entrance hall. In addition to that, they showed me their laundry – a laundry where you clean your clothes. The lockers that they have to lock their clothes up to dry in have not been cleaned in over a year. There were huge dust mounds in their drying facilities. The laundry facilities were just so disappointing. In addition to that, they pointed out what they believed to be a drug den, where there were drug deals and drug paraphernalia. I saw syringes on the ground – open syringes not even with a cap on them – and children playing in the area. They were desperate for security. They showed me hoarders – hoarders that had collected things from the street and left them scattered in the public area. Where people put their garden furniture there were also a whole range of boxes. There were old mattresses. There was just an array of litter that was a massive trip hazard. In addition to that, as you walked through the hallways to get to each door there were other hoarders who had just put things there. They were a massive trip hazard. They showed me the bird poo that was resting on window ledges. It was piled high. It was a massive hygiene issue. They explained that it was a residence for over-55-year-olds but that there were lots of younger people that were living in there, and they did not know whether there were any approvals for that.

They are absolutely desperate for the housing minister to do something about this. They have pride in their home. What I found when I went there was there was a real sense of community. They have a beautiful herb garden and veggie patch and they have friendships that have formed over many, many years, but at the end of the day enough is enough. Victorians and the people of Prahran deserve to have proper housing, and the people at 150 Inkerman Street deserve a hell of a lot better than this, so I urge the minister for housing to provide a comprehensive report on this.