Friday, 14 November 2025

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:33): The Allan Labor government is saying yes to more homes and yes to more affordable homes for Victorians. We are opening doors for thousands of families, young people and essential workers who want to live in some of Melbourne’s best connected suburbs, helping them find a home that suits their needs and their budgets. We are making it simpler and faster to build all kinds of homes in all kinds of places: homes with backyards, homes with granny flats, townhouses, duplexes, mid-rise flats and apartments near shops, services and world-class transport, including the Metro Tunnel, which is opening in less than a month.

I could not help but notice a post on social media recently:

If we want more housing, we’ve got to make it easier to build … cutting red tape, going for growth, and boosting productivity can create more jobs and homes.

And who said that? The member for Berwick, the Leader of the Opposition. I was so delighted to see the Leader of the Opposition agreeing, at least on social media, with the Premier and everyone on this side of the house, because under our Plan for Victoria, more homes are coming – more homes to 60 well-located centres across Melbourne in our train and tram zone activity centres.

These are the places where it makes sense to build more homes close to jobs, services and transport and exactly where Victorians want to live. We have made it easier to subdivide and easier to build townhouses and duplexes. This is the biggest planning shake-up in decades, because the status quo does not cut it. It will not deliver the future Victorians deserve.

While the Leader of the Opposition talks about going for growth and cutting red tape, it seems that it is one thing in China but a very different thing back here, back in Brighton, still pulling the strings on his puppet here.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister knows not to use ministers statements to sledge.

Ben Carroll: On the point of order, Speaker, you have clearly articulated that we can compare and contrast. The Minister for Planning is rightly pointing out that you cannot say one thing on the Bund and then another thing in Parliament.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Attorney is to come back to her ministers statement.

Sonya KILKENNY: Those Liberals are mean, miserable blockers.