Housing
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:13): (385) My question is for the Minister for Housing, and I ask: has the minister or her department undertaken a stocktake of how many public and social housing dwellings have gas appliances, and if so, how many are there?
Members interjecting.
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:14): Thank you, Mr Davis, for that question. One of the things that we have done throughout public housing and throughout community housing, thus overarchingly social housing, is made sure that we are providing as much support as possible to people, including on energy-efficient upgrades. With that in mind, I just want to confirm that one of the first things that I did when I was sworn in as the Minister for Housing was seek information on upgrades and improvements to energy efficiency. I note also, Mr Davis, that as part of the Big Housing Build we have addressed the issue of affordability, including with all-electric appliances at new social housing dwellings that have come about, including through the ground lease model. And of course all homes built on and from 1 January next year will be all electric in accordance with the Gas Substitution Roadmap. The energy efficiency and social housing program is part of a $447 million energy efficiency upgrades for homes program. This is about delivering upgrades to public and community housing properties, and they include the work that we are doing around reverse-cycle air conditioning, improvements to thermal performance through ceiling insulation and draft –
David Davis: On a point of order, President, I am very interested in what the minister is saying, but it is actually separate from the question that was asked. It was a very specific question about –
Harriet SHING: Ms Bath’s interjection took it in an entirely different direction, Mr Davis. You know that.
David Davis: No, it was a very specific question about whether there has been an audit, and if so, how many.
The PRESIDENT: I call the minister to the question.
Harriet SHING: Again, Mr Davis, if you were actually interested in the work that is being done to reduce the energy footprint and therefore the cost of living for people in social housing, then you would have been listening to the answer, including as it relates to responses to interjections, about the work that we are doing overall with amenity and livability and design standards for social housing.
Upgrades, as I was saying, to homes within the stock that we currently have include the thermal performance of homes, ceiling insulation and draught and gap sealing. The average upgrade is being done at a cost of less than $3000. The Commonwealth has provided an additional $46 million for energy efficiency in social housing in Victoria. Mr Davis, I would be really pleased – I am not going to take you around to these locations – perhaps to arrange for you to visit some of the sites where electric and induction cooktops are part of the –
David Davis: On a point of order, President, it was a very narrow, specific question about whether an audit had been conducted and how many had gas appliances. It was not a broad question. Whilst all of that is interesting, it is not an answer to the question.
The PRESIDENT: I will call the minister back to the question.
Harriet SHING: In the aggregate, a total of 18,285 homes have had energy efficiency upgrades completed across the state under the program I have referred to, as at the end of September 2023.
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:17): I notice that the minister still has not answered this very specific question. I would understand if she did not know the exact number now and wanted to take it on notice – that is absolutely logical – but just to ignore it is not right. I therefore ask: is it the policy of the government and Homes Victoria to replace existing gas appliances in all public and social housing, and if so, how much has been allocated for this task and in how many properties?
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:18): Further to the interesting answer, Mr Davis, on energy efficiency across social housing, as you have described it, it is important to note that all of the new housing that we develop, including across the social housing estate, which involves a 10 per cent uplift as part of the redevelopment of the 44 tower sites in metropolitan Melbourne, will have electric energy available under those rebuilds. All new builds from 1 January next year will have that, and we have provided ongoing support and energy efficiency upgrades to existing stock around the state as part of energy efficiency investments that we are making. The bottom line, Mr Davis, is that this work is ongoing and that this is part of an overarching commitment to making sure that people can get electricity and other bills that come in that are significantly below what they would otherwise have been under a government like yours.
David Davis: On a point of order, President, I did very specifically ask how much has been allocated to this task.
The PRESIDENT: The minister was being relevant to the question.