Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (22:15): (1336) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Housing and Building in the other place, and the action I seek is for the minister to publish the 2025 housing statement progress update so that Victorians can see whether the government is delivering on its promise to build 80,000 new homes each year. The government’s own 2024 progress update, published in September 2024 – over a year ago – acknowledged that Victoria was falling short of this target. It is now October 2025 and no new progress update has been released. Victorians deserve transparency. According to ABS data, from August 2024 to August 2025 Victoria averaged around 4400 housing approvals per month. That is roughly 53,500 for the year – more than 26,000 short of the annual target. And importantly, housing approvals are not completions. A planning permit does not put a roof over anyone’s head. Families cannot live in paperwork. What matters is the number of homes actually being completed, and on that front, progress is totally unclear.

If the government is serious about addressing Victoria’s housing shortage, it must be honest about where things stand. That means publishing timely, accurate data and clearly distinguishing between homes approved, under construction and completed. Victorians need to see the 2025 progress update, and I wonder simply what the government has to hide. Victorians have a right to know whether the state is building homes or just issuing permits.