Thursday, 19 March 2026

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:01): (2257) My constituency question is for the Minister for Local Government. Over the past five years Cardinia shire has seen a 53 per cent increase in people sleeping rough, with more than 3800 households experiencing housing stress. To support my constituents, social and affordable housing in Cardinia must be raised from 0.9 per cent to 7 per cent. High windfall gains tax rates disincentivise councils from rezoning land to meet housing needs. Cardinia council have reported that they are already racing to keep up with the maintenance costs of community facilities and amenities. After rezoning and tax expenses, council funds are simply inadequate to develop and maintain the required affordable housing in the community. So my constituency question is: will the minister advocate for windfall gains tax exemptions for Cardinia and Knox councils for the purpose of social and affordable housing development?