Tuesday, 13 May 2025

 Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:13): I am really, really pleased to be able to update the chamber on projects that our government is delivering in tandem with our recently re-elected Commonwealth partners, projects like the Bell-Bardia development at Heidelberg West, stage 1 of which will deliver 104 social and affordable homes and will go ahead thanks to funding from the Commonwealth and the Albanese Labor government’s social housing accelerator program – that is $497.5 million to deliver at least 769 homes. Construction on that project is expected to begin in the middle of this year, like the low-rise dwellings being delivered under that same program right across Victoria, including the newly built homes at Reservoir that I visited with the recently returned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in April, alongside recently returned housing, homelessness and now cities minister Clare O’Neil and recently returned and promoted member for Cooper the amazing Ged Kearney.

These homes will be ready to be tenanted soon. They look absolutely stunning, like the slew of projects that we will soon see commencing under the Housing Australia Future Fund – that is a fund, by the way, that Peter Dutton was going to gut – which include Unison Housing’s Sydney Road, Coburg, project, which is awaiting contract close and will deliver 59 social and affordable homes.

All of these are possible because of the Housing Australia Future Fund and the social housing accelerator program, both now secure with a re-elected Albanese Labor government. The HAFF is a revolutionary program. It is supporting 40,000 new social and affordable homes right across the country, and it is backing in our $6.3 billion Big Housing Build and Regional Housing Fund, which has seen over 10,200 homes either in planning, under construction or completed. We know that we have everything to gain from these partnerships, as do the people who deserve the right to a bright, beautiful, secure and energy-efficient home they are proud to call their own.