Tuesday, 16 May 2023

Responses

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy, Minister for Equality) (17:32): What a broad church we are in the issues that have been brought to the Parliament this evening: 16 matters in total from Ms Terpstra, Ms Crozier, Mr Berger, Ms Lovell, Mr Batchelor, Mrs McArthur, Mrs Hermans, Mr Limbrick, Mr Luu, Mr McCracken – it is so lovely to see that you have stuck around in the chamber for the answer this evening – Ms Heath, Dr Bach, Ms Bath, Mr McGowan and Dr Ratnam. And, Dr Mansfield, thank you also for being here in the chamber. It is disappointing that in fact the audience that I might otherwise have had has all disappeared and flown to the hills, which is –

Bev McArthur: The best are left here, Minister.

Harriet SHING: Thank you. Yes, it is the best left for the end of the day, Mrs McArthur. I will refer the matters that have been raised, those 14 matters, to the relevant ministers for responses in accordance with convention and the standing orders.

What I would like to do is address the two matters that have been raised for me tonight in my capacity as Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy, which I think we will also find, as it relates to Mr McCracken’s adjournment matter, relevant to some of the issues raised by Dr Ratnam.

Dr Mansfield, the question that you have put and the action that you have sought relate to housing in regional Victoria and the impact that will be felt as a consequence of the Commonwealth Games coming to regional and rural Victoria. By way of background, the first time the world will see a games being unfurled across rural and regional Victoria will be in Victoria 2026. This is an enormous opportunity. It means that we will see over $3 billion as a return on investment. It will mean hundreds of thousands of people visiting rural and regional Victoria to enjoy all that it has to offer, from our natural landscapes and the activities and experiences that we all know and love and in fact prize here in Victoria around the various parts of the state where the games will be happening and the areas around them right through to the hospitality and the opportunities to participate in and be part of elite sporting competitions, demonstration and exhibition sports and a very rich and inclusive cultural program.

We do know that there will be a demand on housing, not only as a consequence of the games but also as the population grows. We are seeing modelling that suggests and indeed indicates that by around 2056 we will see a population in Melbourne of more than 9 million people, so this is not a challenge unique to rural and regional Victoria. This is why the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build has been a landmark investment from this government. No other government around Australia has invested in housing infrastructure for social and affordable housing like Victoria. This is about making sure that we are providing for people who are particularly vulnerable to insecure housing and particularly at risk of homelessness. We are proud to deliver this policy, which again makes sure that as part of the delivery of public and social housing we have accommodation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, for victims and survivors of family violence and for people who are in need for a range of other reasons, including, as the former Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley indicated, people with those complex social and psychosocial needs that need and deserve that attention and the security that a home brings. We are delivering in rural and regional Victoria $1.25 billion as part of that overall $5.3 billion spend.

We will see that by 2026, when the Commonwealth Games come to Victoria, there will be an additional 12,000 homes able to be utilised by people who have previously not had access to public and social housing. At the moment we have more than 7600 homes that are completed or all but completed, and this is a really important part of the investment that is happening there. We have also got a private rental assistance scheme and the Aboriginal private rental assistance program, which both go to the issues that you have raised around vulnerable community members who need and deserve that particular attention.

There is a crossover here between Commonwealth Games legacy and the work of the athletes villages, which again goes to the issues that you have both raised here tonight, and the work in regional development. When we look at the regional workforce pilots, for example, that $5 million that has gone into fast-tracking or unlocking land on the one hand will mean that on the other hand we have an opportunity to meet the demand and the growth in demand that will continue to escalate across our rural and regional areas.

On that, it has been really wonderful to see these sorts of programs in action. In Robinvale not that long ago it was great to see the completion of a project which was delivered in combination with Regional Development Victoria and the Swan Hill Rural City Council to make sure that we could have as part of the four pilot sites four three-bedroom homes, which will then be available for locals or people who come to the area, meaning that accommodation is one less thing that they have to worry about. Council will then use the profits made available from those residences to build another four. It is also about projects like Ararat and the trunk infrastructure being developed with council to provide homes for around 317 extra people and the Timboon and Simpson and Corangamite shire partnerships to unlock that land for housing.

We have also – and I will turn to Mr McCracken’s answer momentarily – the athletes villages. This is where again the work is going in to make sure that we are identifying opportunities for this housing to be deployed in the most meaningful and appropriate way possible to meet need as it evolves between now and 2026. We want to make sure that not only are we assisting councils with planning processes, not only are we leaning into the challenges of affordability and availability, but we are also using the opportunity of Commonwealth Games village development to partner with our regions to make sure that that housing after the games is put to the very best use possible.

This is where again the work will continue apace. The work leading up to the Commonwealth Games in 2026 is informed by community engagement and consultation. I have been part of five regional engagement forums to date across Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Traralgon, and there are legacy round tables that are also taking place to identify how we can work alongside communities to meet those needs now and into the future, because the needs across different parts of rural and regional Victoria will be different; they will evolve differently. We want to make sure that inclusion, accessibility and engagement are at the heart of that work.

So to that end I would invite you to talk with communities and be part of those conversations for the Commonwealth Games legacy. We are determined to make it as accessible as possible. I would urge those people who want to get involved to hop onto the Commonwealth Games legacy and office of Commonwealth Games websites to find out more about when and how those Commonwealth Games legacy round tables will be conducted. I hope that that acquits the question that you have put to me tonight, Dr Mansfield.

On that basis I will turn to you, Mr McCracken. This was a question about the old saleyards site village. The question that came from you related to the village of 1800 accommodation options, and the request from you was for assurances around a world-class experience for athletes and the work that needs to go into making sure that you and your community are satisfied as to the processes that have been undertaken around the development of that site and around the way in which we will meet the needs of the community, reduce the impact of development on residents and make sure that those people who come to Ballarat for the games have the very best experience they can and that public safety and resident impact are managed. The office of Commonwealth Games, Development Victoria, the City of Ballarat and the EPA are all working very closely together, and that relates as much as anything to the buffer zones that you have identified, the distances between sensitive use sites and the way in which the athletes village and light industrial sites will be developed. It is important to note that this is a process of constant engagement, so we are working very, very closely with a range of partners, and there are contractual obligations that exist around the way in which athletes’ accommodation is provided. So nobody should be under any illusions about the standard and the quality of this accommodation. We are bound to deliver accommodation that meets the expectations of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

We are keen to make sure that we not only meet those obligations and commitments but exceed them. This is about accessibility, and it is about energy efficiency – we are talking about athletes’ accommodation that will be 7½ stars in energy efficiency. We are also talking about the way in which this accommodation will fit within an overall precinct with gardens, with common areas and with an epically appropriate and diverse dining hall and gathering area, because we all know that athletes have very particular needs in competition. This is about making sure that when and as we build ourselves up to the final stretch in Commonwealth Games preparation, we have athletes village accommodation that is absolutely fit for purpose and that is an achievement and a landmark opportunity for rural and regional communities to meet growth. Then, after the Commonwealth Games, we look forward to being able to deploy some of that housing, some of that accommodation, into the areas where it is needed. Have those decisions been made about the proportion of accommodation that will be allocated to different purposes? No. And the reason that those decisions have not been taken is because we need to have conversations to ensure that the outcomes reflect what it is that communities want and meet the needs of communities into the future.

I am really looking forward to continuing these conversations, I am really looking forward to developing the framework through engagement with communities and I look forward, Mr McCracken, to seeing you at some of the round tables and ongoing conversations that have been happening for many months now.

Joe McCracken: Invite me along. I’ll come along.

Harriet SHING: You don’t have to be invited. Just put your hand up.

The PRESIDENT: The house stands adjourned.

House adjourned 5:44 pm.