Thursday, 18 August 2022

Braybrook regeneration project

Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (18:19): (2077) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Housing, and the action that I seek is for the minister to provide an explanation of the delay in the Braybrook regeneration project and to provide a revised time line, including completion of construction. Public housing in Braybrook has been a matter close to my heart for many years. As the mayor I released the Revitalising Braybrook Action Plan and built the Braybrook Community Hub, the heart of the community. Last year the Victorian Planning Authority released their Towards a Braybrook Urban Design Framework and sent it out for community engagement. The results of the engagement were published in July last year. According to the VPA website, a draft urban design framework and a draft planning scheme amendment were to be done in January this year. Neither of these appear to have been completed.

The public housing in Braybrook urgently needs to be replaced. We are talking about asbestos- and mould-ridden housing, much of which is now boarded up. In June I questioned the minister about when the first round of construction projects would be completed for Western Metropolitan tenants to move into. He has not answered my question, yet last week he announced:

The Andrews Labor Government has hit the halfway milestone in its unprecedented Big Housing Build, delivering more social and affordable homes to those who need it most right across the state.

More than 6,300 homes have been completed or are underway, with more than $2.8 billion of investment funds already poured into new and secure homes under the program. This is the largest single investment in social and affordable housing by any state or territory government in Australia’s history.

Yet nothing has been delivered in Braybrook despite the project being identified as a project on the VPA’s fast-track program. We have approximately 12 000 people in the west on the social housing list. We want affordable housing in the west. The state government just announced 92 apartments in Footscray with only 60 car parks, putting pressure on other high-rise apartments in the area. Twelve thousand people on a list in the west and 92 apartments in Footscray just does not cut the mustard.