Thursday, 18 August 2022

Social housing

Mr HAYES (Southern Metropolitan) (10:08): The Victorian Ombudsman’s report into complaint handling in the Victorian social housing sector is a dire read. The report highlights a broken system, a system that has not worked for years, a system in chaos, delays and an unwillingness to respond. Properties in dire need of repairs are affecting people’s health. One has to ask: where is the government’s duty of care? Isn’t decent housing a basic human need? The government prides itself on its big build for housing, yet until recently has all but ignored the increasing need for affordable housing. The recent budget commitments will not be realised for years.

I worry about the current situation, and we need to act now. I support the calls for a social housing ombudsman. We need a clear framework for complaint handling and maintenance. I have previously raised the issue of public housing properties such as Barak Beacon estate, Braybrook and Ascot Vale being neglected and great housing options being inadequately maintained and not refurbished. We need more publicly owned housing, not less. The pursuit of private contracts rather than restoring existing publicly owned housing is a poor outcome for Victorians, both in social and economic outcomes, especially the loss of publicly owned land. Such partnerships are opportunistic rather than strategic, and I hope the government soon wakes up to the mess it is creating with these complex arrangements.