Housing affordability
Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (17:42): (433) My adjournment tonight is seeking action from the Minister for Housing, and the action I am seeking is a clarification on the inclusionary housing pilot project announced way back in 2017. As recently reported by the Age, the Andrews government has failed to deliver any of the social or affordable housing lots that were announced back in 2017 with its inclusionary housing project. Six owned sites were announced to be sold to developers at a discount, provided they would provide 100 social houses. Three of these are in my electorate of Northern Metropolitan Region. In Reservoir, that site was set aside for development. It was actually once designated to be a highway. But the government has had it since 2017, and it has not rezoned the property so it can have any houses built on it. So not only have they not delivered the homes, they have not even rezoned it so they can kind of get underway with it. In Broadmeadows, 65 houses were proposed for the site of Nicholas Street, with Hume council stating that they know little about what is being planned or how many social or affordable houses will be built. These sites were announced for development for both public and private dwellings, and it was said construction would commence in 2018. However, nothing has happened so far. I did not see anything in 2018. I did not see anything in 2019, 20, 21, 22 or 23.
The Labor government loves to announce projects. It is like perhaps the regional Commonwealth Games: they are all about the photo op but do not follow through. These sites are on public land, and planning approvals were supposed to go through the government instead of councils, which was meant to speed up these developments. However, nothing has happened. Hopefully it is not a sign of what the government is planning with its rumoured takeover to bypass councils, because we know, through speaking to the community and speaking to people that are advocating for these projects, you are more than likely to get a longer outcome, with decisions sitting on the minister’s desk, than you actually are through local government.
So the action for the minister is about a clarification on a time frame for when these sites will be built. Hume councillor Sam Misho says there needs to be more transparency and a constructive time frame. I like Cr Misho’s initiative, but he is asking for the Andrews government to show transparency. I reckon he would have more luck asking for a pig to fly over Parliament House. I ask again the Minister for Housing, or I seek the action of the minister, to provide a time frame for when these developments will be built.