Housing affordability
Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:36): (256) My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Housing. Victoria is experiencing one of the worst housing crises, with skyrocketing rents, no new investment in public housing and too much housing stock locked up as short-term rentals, amongst a range of other drivers. Last week the Age reported on the complete failure of your government’s inclusionary zoning pilot. This pilot was announced in 2017 and involved the government planning to sell off public land on the cheap to developers in exchange for a majority private development and a minimal amount of affordable housing in return. But six years later not a single home, public or private, has been built on the sites. With the government indicating that it wants to take planning controls away from local communities, what is the government going to do to practically reassure the community that any planning changes will not result in the same failure that we have seen with this pilot?
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Minister for Child Protection and Family Services) (12:37): Thank you, Dr Ratnam, for your question. I will be very pleased to pass that to the Minister for Housing and for him to reply in accordance with the standing orders.
Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:38): Thank you, Minister, for passing that on. By way of supplementary, another serious concern about the government’s so-called inclusionary zoning pilot was the use of public land. Inclusionary zoning is meant to be about creating more affordable housing on private land and asking developers to build their fair share of affordable housing. The current pilot is another example of privatisation of public assets by this Labor government. Will the government now commit to proper inclusionary zoning where at least 30 per cent of new developments are required to be public and affordable housing?
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Minister for Child Protection and Family Services) (12:38): Thank you, Dr Ratnam, for your supplementary question. I will be pleased to again pass it to the Minister for Housing for a response for you.