Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Western Metropolitan Region

David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (14:05): (917) My constituency question is to the Minister for Housing. My constituent works in the homelessness sector in the City of Brimbank and contacted me in response to the government’s new housing targets announced over the weekend. Brimbank has the highest incidence of homelessness in Melbourne, including rough sleepers and those couch surfing. My constituent says that boosting housing supply is a worthy aspiration, but without targets for social and affordable housing it will do little to address the epidemic of homelessness in the west. The Productivity Commission Report on Government Services released in January this year reveals public and community housing residents make up just 2.9 per cent of Victoria’s households. This is the lowest percentage in Australia. My constituent asks: will the minister work with the City of Brimbank and other councils in Melbourne’s west to ensure the proposed housing targets include at least 10 per cent social and affordable housing, including housing prioritising First Nations people?