Members statements
Bills Street, Hawthorn, redevelopment
John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (09:41): The Australian Labor Party is the only party that truly supports social housing, and today I want to highlight a particular project. As the Deputy Premier mentioned in question time yesterday, the Bills Street housing development in Hawthorn is being delivered as part of the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build. That is a massive deal. Construction commenced in late 2021, and it would not have been possible had it not been for the former member for Hawthorn John Kennedy, who coincidentally is still spoken of very highly in the electorate. I know for a fact that my community of Hawthorn dearly misses their hardworking former member of Parliament John Kennedy, and I am excited to announce that the almost $100 million development is on track to welcome hundreds of new residents by the end of the year. This project will replace the 52-year-old no longer fit for purpose dwellings. With 103 state-of-the-art social housing dwellings and 103 affordable homes, this project will boost social housing on the site by 98 per cent. I want to thank Minister Brooks for the invitation to visit the site yesterday and say thank you to Michele Morrison, chief development officer for Homes Victoria, and Sam Reinboth, project director of Hansen Yuncken, but most importantly the hardworking construction workers working around the clock to deliver this project for my community.