Housing
Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:42): My question is for the minister for housing. How many additional homes have been contracted to be built out of the $30 million allocated to the Big Housing Build projects in the Macedon Ranges shire since you last informed the house on the Macedon Ranges Big Housing Build projects in June 2025?
The PRESIDENT: I am just concerned about the level of detail in the question.
Members interjecting.
The PRESIDENT: I am just externalising my thoughts. I am happy to accept a point of order.
David Davis: On a point of order, President, the minister talked about it in the chamber. She is very open to being questioned about it under normal rules.
The PRESIDENT: I will call the minister, but I just remind the chamber of other rulings of very great presidents that have been before around this level of detail.
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:43): Thank you, Ms Lovell, for your question. It is an area that I have spoken about extensively as it relates to the 79 local council areas across the state and the work that we are doing to continue to deliver on that record housing investment, whether it is part of the Big Housing Build, the Regional Housing Fund – a range of programs it is part of – public housing renewal and upgrade programs or the work with the Commonwealth. We will continue to do this work. The question that you have asked me is about what has occurred since you last asked me a question about this. Given that you are asking for point-in-time information as it relates to one of those 79 LGAs, it is a level of granularity, which I appreciate you having used a question in question time to ask about. I will take you up on an invitation, given that you have raised it in question time and in accordance with Rulings from the Chair, to provide you with further information on the progress of that work as it occurs across not just this shire but others around the state.
Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:44): In June last year you confirmed that out of the $30 million guaranteed minimum investment for the Big Housing Build projects in the Macedon Ranges shire, only $12.5 million, less than half, had been committed at that time, despite the fact that the Big Housing Build was supposed to have been completed by 2024. You also said that the whole of the $30 million investment, ‘will be done over the next 12 months’. Eight months after you made that promise there is not a single project listed in the Macedon Ranges on the Big Housing Build website – none completed, approved or proposed. Why has the Labor government totally failed to progress vital social housing projects in the Macedon Ranges shire?
Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:45): Thank you very much for that supplementary. Again, the way in which you have asked it presupposes – putting to one side the answer that I have given to the substantive question – that there has not been investment across this LGA when indeed there has. I have just had a look at some information. Again, I am very happy to provide you with point-in-time information, but the $33 million is about making sure we are delivering local projects. I have been able to have a look at the planning that is underway for two projects in Macedon. That includes Kyneton and Lancefield; that is part of that work. Of the $33 million – and I think I may have said this previously – 17 homes have been completed and 34 are underway. That is a total of 51 homes, Ms Lovell. Again, when you are talking about point-in-time information, that is perhaps a question for a constituency question, but I will provide you with further information as it is available to me.