Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Housing

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (17:38): (592) My adjournment tonight is directed towards the Minister for Planning in the other place. This tired old Labor government has been in power for almost a decade. In that time homes and rents have become less and less affordable. That is why, supposedly, Labor released its housing statement. As the former Premier said, ‘The status quo is not an option’, but I would say that Labor is responsible for the status quo. I have spoken to the minister about Darebin City Council before. I am glad the minister has now approved Assemble’s great development proposal for Preston on St George’s Road, but I am afraid I am going to have to speak to the minister again about Darebin City Council.

This comes as Darebin council voted against a sensible development in Thornbury in my electorate. This development was for two two-storey townhouses, set to replace a single detached dwelling. This is a case study of a disconnect between councillors and Labor’s own housing statement. I wanted to note the councillors who voted against this: Emily Dimitriadis, Tim Laurence and Julie Williams, who are all Labor councillors for the City of Darebin. It is like they did not actually read the government’s housing statement or the intention in that housing statement. Cr Dimitriades even described the development as an overdevelopment. They also discussed using overlays to block development – a real ‘saying the quiet part out loud’ moment. You really have to wonder if Labor councillors consider a two-storey townhouse in inner-city Thornbury to be overdevelopment.

How can the Allan government ever expect to meet its housing statement target of 80,000 homes a year when their own Labor councillors are rejecting two-storey townhouses in Thornbury. I am really hoping that VCAT sees sense. The government set a target of building 220 homes every day, including weekends and public holidays, for 10 years and is having Labor councillors already causing a roadblock on a proposal for two two-storey townhouses in the inner city. I seek this action from the minister: to explain why Victorians should expect Labor to meet its housing target when Labor councillors object to even the most reasonable developments.