Tuesday, 2 May 2023

Responses

Colin BROOKS (Bundoora – Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (19:23): Speaker, it is a pleasure to have you in the chair tonight for this special adjournment debate.

Can I just respond to the adjournment item that has been raised by the honourable member for Ringwood, who I know is a very strong supporter of multicultural communities not just in his own community but right across Victoria as well. I understand the Dawoodi Bohra community in Melbourne consists at the moment of about 160 families – but it is growing – and these families come from all corners of the globe. Of course the new mosque will serve as a place for worship for Koranic classes and of course for community events and functions as well. I will take the opportunity to say that in the lead-up to the election the Andrews Labor government promised to establish a $5 million Islamic communities infrastructure program to help Muslim organisations build, upgrade or renovate buildings or facilities to support our wonderful Islamic communities, and I will have more to say about this in the near future, in particular how this fund might be able to help organisations just like the Dawoodi Bohra community in the member’s electorate. I should also mention that our government will also invest $3 million to help stamp out Islamophobia in Victoria and strengthen the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 to make it easier to prosecute individuals who incite hatred or bigotry – something I would hope all members in this house will support. Labor is backing our Islamic communities not just with words but with action, and I would be very happy to join the member at the grand opening of the Dawoodi Bohra mosque in Blackburn.

I might just respond to a matter that was raised by the member for Caulfield as well in relation to homelessness and say to the member, through you, Chair, that the government will be responding to the Legal and Social Issues Committee report. I take the opportunity at the same time to just update the house in terms of the homelessness service provision that the Andrews Labor government supports. We are investing over $400 million annually in homelessness this year, with $194 million going out to homelessness services across the state. These are 138 organisations that provide services directly to people either experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. On top of that there is $167 million which we fund for the From Homelessness to a Home program, which members will be aware is a very successful program that began during COVID and provides rough sleepers with a home, a housing first approach, and wraparound services – a very important program for people who are experiencing homelessness. So there is a really significant investment of over $400 million annually into the homelessness sector.

What I have learned very quickly as Minister for Housing is that the most important thing we can do in terms of homelessness, but also other vulnerable Victorians, is to provide social housing. It is so important. Whether it be people fleeing family violence, youth homelessness, people from our Aboriginal communities, it so important for us to increase the amount of social housing stock so that we can provide homes at the end of those service pathways. And that is exactly what the Andrews Labor government is doing through the Big Housing Build, delivering over 12,000 new social and affordable homes right across the state, a quarter of which will be delivered in regional Victoria.

I know that the member for Caulfield has raised the issue tonight in a genuine way, but without sounding too political I just do want to raise the point that the Premier touched on in question time today: there is a federal government now that has an appetite to invest in social and affordable housing in every state and territory across the country; it is not something we have had for the best part of a decade. That housing package, which would equate to around $200 million of investment in social housing for those very people that the honourable member referred to, is being held up in the Senate by the Liberal and National parties and the Greens. I think the most valuable thing that people in this place could do to help people who are experiencing homelessness, are at risk of homelessness, are vulnerable Victorians who need social housing, is walk out of this chamber tonight, pick up the phone to your federal colleagues and ring them and tell them to not block that housing package from getting through the Senate.

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (19:28): I appreciate the assistance so there are fewer matters to follow up thanks to the good work of the honourable member for Bundoora, the Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

Kicking off, the member for Box Hill directed a matter to the Deputy Premier and Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, that the minister ensure that the Suburban Rail Loop Authority engage with Australia Post in retaining those Box Hill post office services, and then he raised further matters in relation to the very serious issue that there have been Box Hill post office services since 1861. The member for Morwell raised a matter for the Minister for Emergency Services in the other place to see that funding is allocated to the Morwell CFA to remain a standalone station. The member for Broadmeadows raised a matter for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety in relation to seeking a review of safety improvements along Pascoe Vale Road near the intersection of Post Office Place.

The member for South-West Coast raised a matter for the Minister for Outdoor Recreation in relation to seeking greater engagement with the outdoor recreation communities – for example, VRFish, who do amazing work in those communities – to manage the environment and opportunities together, and a range of other stakeholders that she indicated. The member for Bayswater raised a matter for the Minister for Water to visit the Bayswater electorate around the Knox area and see the significant waterways projects across several suburbs in his electorate – the amazing work that is being done there through his leadership and hard work. The member for Brunswick raised a matter for the Minister for Health, seeking action to engage the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, public hospitals and other key stakeholders that he mentioned around the work that is needed with those key organisations, with public hospitals and the like, for access to gender-affirming surgery in Victoria. He went to great lengths to explain the detail in relation to those matters for the Minister for Health, and I will ensure that those matters are followed up too.

The member for Monbulk raised a matter for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and Minister for Creative Industries to visit the amazing electorate of Monbulk. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Emerald police station with the member, but she is keen too of course to get the minister for tourism, sport and creative industries out there to meet many of the talented artists in the artistic community in her Monbulk electorate that are doing amazing work – an opportunity for the minister to visit with her the electorate of Monbulk. The member for Bulleen raised a matter for the Minister for Health in relation to Meals on Wheels services, particularly those 2000 services that are provided across the Manningham local government area in his electorate, and a desire to see funding secured to maintain those services for Meals on Wheels across Manningham given his concerns around threats to that funding in relation to federal government. That concludes, thanks to the assistance of the honourable member for Bundoora, matters to follow up with ministers on behalf of members.

The SPEAKER: The house now stands adjourned.

House adjourned 7:31 pm.