Question details
Latrobe Valley social housing
(253) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Housing, and the information I seek is on the Commonwealth Games rescue package promised for the Latrobe Valley as part of the Comm Games cancellation. The Andrews Labor government has misled Victorians from the beginning with the Commonwealth Games debacle. But more importantly, at a local level in my electorate of Morwell we were ready and raring to host a range of Commonwealth Games events, and this catastrophic decision will have a monumental impact on residents, community clubs and small businesses.
We had repeatedly been told that the athletes village in Morwell would be repurposed and used as social housing infrastructure, which is desperately needed in the Latrobe Valley as we experience a homelessness crisis unlike any we have seen before. Data from the Council to Homeless Persons shows homelessness in the valley has increased 85 per cent in the five years to 2021. Given this data is now two years old and given the cost of living is spiralling out of control, we can safely assume this figure has increased substantially. People are slipping through the cracks, and this data does not even account for the huge number of people and families who are sleeping in their cars or couch surfing. Some 2783 people in the Latrobe Valley local government area accessed specialised homelessness services last financial year – 2783 of them – more than any other regional municipality in the state.
Even more frustrating is the fact that constituents have visited my office to report vacant properties across the valley, some of which have been built by Homes Victoria for the purpose of social housing, yet they are incomprehensibly sitting empty while people are sleeping on the streets. I have written to the Andrews Labor government several times to report these vacant properties and request urgent action, but I have not received a single response. For three years we have been promised more social housing, but all we have received are platitudes and excuses while the supply of homes is dwindling and homelessness is skyrocketing. So how are we supposed to trust a government mired in record debt and caught in the web of its own lies and financial incompetence to deliver any of the promised $2 billion worth of legacy projects? After years of empty promises, inaction and underfunding people in the Latrobe Valley need more than just words to believe anything this government says. Minister, when will the construction of affordable housing in the Latrobe Valley begin, and will you commit to a time frame for delivery?
FootnotesQuestion redirected on 3 October 2023 due to ministerial portfolio changes
The Allan Government recognises that every Victorian deserves the dignity of living in a home that is safe, secure and fit-for-purpose. We know there is high demand for social and affordable housing across Victoria, which is why the Government is making record investments in housing.
The Victorian Government is investing $5.3 billion in the Big Housing Build to deliver more than 12,000 new homes. We now have more than 10,000 homes completed or underway and more than 5,000 households who have either moved or are getting ready to move into their brand-new homes. All new homes constructed by Homes Victoria as part of the Big Housing Build will meet an average 7-star NatHERS energy efficiency rating and a minimum silver standard of liveability, to ensure a comfortable living environment and low energy costs for our renters.
Homes Victoria is continuously looking at new opportunities to boost supply of social and affordable housing in Victoria, including partnering with industry, community housing providers, local government and institutional investors. The Government funded Affordable Housing Partnership Program is an example of this as well as the $1 billion investment through the Regional Housing Fund and $150 million through the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund to deliver more social housing.
In regard to the Latrobe Valley, there are a number of reasons why properties may be vacant. I am committed to my department making properties available for tenancy as soon as possible, and my department is regularly monitoring its performance in this regard. The department works to ensure that properties are tenanted as soon as possible. This includes undertaking the necessary inspection, safety checks and repairs in line with the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 before the property is ready for the next renter.
As at the end of July 2024, $92 million (which includes the Big Housing Build and Other Capital Works Projects) has been invested in Latrobe to deliver 219 homes, with 99 homes already completed. Additionally, 597 homes have, or are in the process of having maintenance and upgrades across Latrobe with an investment of $8.5 million. Under the Big Housing Build, our government committed to investing at least $60 million as Minimum Investment Guarantee (MIG) in the Latrobe local government area - in fact a larger target of $83 million is now being invested.
The Allan Labor Government additionally welcomes the Commonwealth Government’s investment into social housing in Victoria through the Housing Australia Future Fund, and an additional $496.5 million investment in social housing has been secured in partnership with the Commonwealth Government through the Social Housing Accelerator which will deliver more and better homes for Victorians.
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Hon Harriet Shing MP
Minister for Housing