Thursday, 5 October 2023

Adjournment

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (18:04): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Southern Metropolitan Region housing

John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (18:04): (485) My adjournment is for the Minister for Housing, Minister Shing. I request the minister join me on a visit to social and affordable housing in my community of Southern Metro and hear firsthand from the residents who call them home and the workers from the Department of Housing who support them. I want to begin by congratulating my colleague on her new role. It is a big deal, and I know the minister will do a fantastic job making it her own. I also want to thank the former minister in the other place, Minister Brooks, on his hard work and commitment to advocating for my community and the big housing projects we need in the 21st century. As the Premier said on Monday, the new ministerial team will put our bold housing agenda at the core of its work, and that means our commitment to deliver 800,000 new homes over the next decade, Australia’s biggest urban renewal project. I am excited to get behind it.

I was there on the morning that the reforms were announced, speaking to residents at the Horace Petty estate, a few hundred metres from my office, about what the reforms mean for them. The reality is that 44 ageing high-rise public housing estates are not fit for purpose in a modern-day Victoria. They do not provide the needed facilities that Victorians deserve. Our older public housing high-rise buildings are coming to the end of their operational life and no longer meet current building and living standards for renters. In recent years building faults and breakdowns have become more common, causing frequent disruption to household comfort and enjoyment.

Our population also continues to grow, and many more Victorians require access to quality housing. Our public housing tenants deserve modern, accessible homes which meet modern living safety and energy standards. Although I have been to the towers on many occasions over my life, and in this term as a member of Parliament, I had never been inside them until two weeks ago. It demonstrated to me why this needs to get fixed. We need to do the work now. It will save us money in the long run – in fact an estimated $2.3 billion over the next 20 years in capital critical repairs and maintenance to the 44 towers. As the new minister knows, the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build is already delivering more than 12,000 social and affordable homes right across Victoria, with 7600 homes already underway and 3000 households that have either been moved into or are getting ready to be moved into. So there is a lot of work to be done, and I am excited to work with the new minister to deliver for my community. This housing plan is what Labor governments are about – doing what matters.