Thursday, 29 May 2025

Ministers statements: housing

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:09): Our government understands that Victorians need help with the cost of living and sometimes no amount of belt-tightening can prevent a slide into housing insecurity. Last week’s budget invests in the services that people rely upon when they find themselves in that situation of vulnerability. The budget provides funding for the Salvation Army’s after-hours crisis service, Aboriginal-specific homelessness entry points and Victoria’s rough sleeping action plan. There is funding for resources and responses tailored to the needs of specific communities, like Audrey Rainsford in Carlton, which provides housing support to older people with experiences of chronic rough sleeping, or Viv’s Place in Dandenong and McAuley House in Ballarat, which keep women and children fleeing family violence safe. And there is our world-leading Pride in Place program that offers inclusive recovery pathways for LGBTIQA+ people experiencing homelessness. The budget also advances our commitments to Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort and the blueprint for an Aboriginal-specific homelessness system to deliver on self-determined responses across Victoria.

Underpinning these responses is a belief in helping each other and helping people to live well. When one of us falls or falters, those of us who can offer a helping hand do. I saw this same belief last week during another visit to the Horace Petty estate in South Yarra, where I met with South Yarra Public Tenants Association members to hear more about the work that they are doing, from managing information, assistance and engagement as part of relocations to accessing services and support. We discussed the impact of change as we continue to redevelop the ageing high-rise towers, and locals including Janice, Vladimir and Carol shared their stories with me. What was immediately clear was how the community is supporting each other as that relocation process takes shape. I am committed to working alongside residents every step of the way throughout that process, so they can all have access to the standards of service and housing they deserve.