Ministers statements: housing
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:49): It seems timely that there is another opportunity to talk about another housing development, the social and affordable housing being delivered and ready for new residents who either have moved in or are moving in at Tarakan Street in Heidelberg West. It was a joy to head along to this development to celebrate the completion of these bright, modern, energy-efficient and connected homes. This is about making sure that we are providing homes that are fit for purpose, that meet current contemporary design standards and that have the relevant level of compliance with the way in which housing is configured and the way in which heating, cooling, cross-ventilation, energy efficiency and accessibility are featured in their designs. It is also one of those projects which is featured in our local energy network. This is a nation-leading initiative that supplies electricity and hot water using 100 per cent renewable energy. It can save a social housing renter around $400 a year through onsite solar and renewable energy from the grid.
I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I was to talk to local resident Ellie, who is a political refugee from Iran who calls Tarakan Street her home. She said, ‘It’s a dream that I can’t believe is mine.’ Ellie’s gorgeous new home is another example of why we are doing this work. It is people like Ellie who drive the efforts to make sure that we are bringing new social housing online across the state as part of a record investment of billions of dollars to make sure that people have the homes that they deserve. These homes are made by people who live and work in their local communities. We have partnered with Uniting, and we are making sure that Banyule City Council is part of this work. We are on track to deliver 16,000 homes and create 40,000 jobs. This is what we are building.