Question details
Morwell electorate
(1321) My constituency question is for the Minister for Housing and Building, and my question is: why does Gippsland have fewer social housing properties today than it did eight years ago? In East Gippsland, Wellington and Latrobe there are currently 3785 social housing residences. Back in 2017 there were 3792. That is a reduction of seven homes over eight years despite strong population growth. These are the department’s own figures. Despite all the talk and spin we hear daily about Labor’s so-called Big Housing Build our social housing numbers are going backwards. Adding to the crisis, median rents have increased by 6 per cent in regional Victoria in the last 12 months alone. There are now more than 60,000 Victorians on the social housing waitlist, up 7.4 per cent since last year. The valley is locked up by coal overlays that should be reviewed and removed to allow construction of up to 2000 homes in the south-east of Traralgon, but the government refuses to act.
I thank the Member for Morwell for this question. We know there is high demand for social and affordable housing across Victoria, which is why the Victorian Government is making record investments to deliver more social and affordable housing. Under the Big Housing Build and Regional Housing Fund, construction of more than 11,200 homes has commenced, including over 6,400 brand new homes completed, as of September 2025. Between 30 June 2020 and 30 June 2024, there was a net increase of 4,390 social housing dwellings.
As part of the Big Housing Build’s $765 million Minimum Investment Guarantee for regional Victoria, the Government has committed a minimum of $60 million to the Latrobe local government area. Since the commencement of the Big Housing Build, there has been a net increase of 103 social housing dwellings in East Gippsland, Wellington and Latrobe (from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2024).
A further 92 additional social houses are set to be delivered in 2026. This includes 46 new social homes in Latrobe, 41 homes in East Gippsland and 5 more homes in Wellington.
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Hon Harriet Shing MP
Minister for Housing and Building