Tuesday, 3 March 2026

 Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:46): We do not get a city or a state that is more affordable, fairer, more livable or safer by hope alone, and as the challenge of finding a home to buy or rent becomes bigger around Australia and around the world, Victoria is building thousands more homes than any other state and leading the nation when it comes to first home buyers. Labor is building new homes, for example, at the Fitzroy Gasworks. Fitzroy Gasworks will be a new neighbourhood with the works: diverse and affordable homes close to public transport, a senior high school, open space, multi-use sports centres and commercial spaces.

Last month, with Local: Residential and the Inner North Collective Joint Venture, I announced that Fitzroy Gasworks will now include 1400 new homes, with a minimum of 20 per cent of those homes being affordable and social housing. That is 200 more homes than originally planned. And earlier today we celebrated the official opening of the new Bundha Sports Centre at Fitzroy Gasworks. The centre has four competition-level courts for netball, basketball and volleyball, a futsal court, gymnasium, cafe and flexible community spaces. Combined with two courts at neighbouring Wurun Senior Campus, we now have a seven-court facility available to the community outside school hours for thousands of people to visit each week.

Labor knows that growth is inevitable but good growth is a choice, and growth should not be the sole responsibility of every part of Melbourne except the Liberals’ leafy inner suburbs, where it seems like we are in a situation of ‘anywhere but Brighton’ or ‘keep out of Kew’. Labor knows that the best way to make housing more affordable and fairer for young Victorians is to build more homes. And with the Liberals and the Greens, actions speak louder than words. They have time and time again blocked and opposed the delivery of reforms and supply that people are looking for when finding a home to buy or rent. Victorians, quite frankly, deserve better.