Housing
Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:34): (420) My question is for the Minister for Housing. Minister, yesterday the Geelong Advertiser reported on the truly awful case of a Department of Families, Fairness and Housing resident who had lived in utter squalor and stench among piles of garbage, faeces and urine with the decomposing body of her brother for more than two and possibly as long as five years. This news has shocked Geelong, but it has not shocked the neighbours. These unfortunate people, themselves public housing residents, have been comprehensively ignored. Reports say up to six had complained about the stench, rats and utter filth around the unit, yet clearly no-one at DFFH took their complaints seriously. The man lay dead, his sister received no help and all the while the public housing asset became uninhabitable and its immediate neighbourhood was blighted. Minister, how could this ever happen in our society?
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:35): Thanks, Mrs McArthur, for this question. It is such a tragic situation, and I am sure that there is nobody in this chamber or this Parliament who does not share the despair and the disappointment that so many of us have right now around these circumstances and the incident involved. I do want to place on record my sincerest condolences to the man’s family and to his friends. Departmental staff offered support at the time to neighbouring residents and to families involved.
There were several welfare checks that had been conducted at the premises since 2021 due to a number of growing concerns around a lack of contact and around a lack of access and some issues around the state of the property in question. There is a new system around escalating issues associated with welfare concerns – that has been implemented at the local housing office since that incident. I want to be a little bit careful here because of this particular matter being the subject of an investigation by Victoria Police and also by the coroner, so I will keep my remarks very general. The department has been in contact with Victoria Police and also the renter’s appointed guardian. We do want to make sure that we are keeping these frameworks for escalation and notification of renter welfare and of resident welfare front of mind.
Before these concerns were raised departmental staff had visited the premises back in 2021, and there was no-one home at the time of that visit. The Geelong housing office received a further complaint in October, and a breach-of-duty notice was issued at the end of that month. On 6 September 2022 and again on 28 September 2022 further visits were conducted. Then on 15 September, following further concerns raised about the renter’s welfare, departmental staff occasioned a police visit to perform a welfare check, and there was a notice issued by departmental staff on the 16th to enter the premises. The Geelong housing office has been involved in the investigation of this matter and in engagement with the neighbours, and that level of support and assistance will continue to be provided by the housing office, including to those people directly impacted in that community.
Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:38): Minister, I thank you for your response. Minister, welfare checks were made by Department of Families, Fairness and Housing staff, but frankly that raises more questions than answers. How on earth did they leave that premises and allow the situation to continue?
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:38): Thank you, Mrs McArthur. As I indicated in my substantive answer, there were a number of checks that were undertaken. A compliance notice was applied for by the housing office through VCAT and was in the process of awaiting a hearing date. This has also been something that the housing office and authorities have been discussing with neighbours, including in relation to whether the gentleman had been seen prior to the notification being received and prior to the deceased being discovered. Mrs McArthur, this is, as I said, something that has been the subject of multiple visits, and this is also a matter which is the subject of investigation. I would be pleased to provide you as a local member with further information on that matter when and as it becomes available, of course subject to any coronial environment and process that may be undertaken.