Wednesday, 16 August 2023

Ministers statements: First Nations housing policy

Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples) (14:12): I rise to update the house on the vital work this Labor government is doing in partnership with First Nations communities across Victoria to provide safe and affordable housing. We know that access to good-quality homes is required for good health, good education and of course for financial prosperity as well. That is why it is a key pillar in our work to close the gap, and it is why this government is delivering on the Aboriginal private rental assistance program, now operating across nine sites in Victoria and using an innovative wraparound support approach to walk side by side with Aboriginal people as they navigate the many challenges of the private rental market.

It is also why we deliver programs like the Aboriginal public housing transfer management pilot that gives Aboriginal people the power to transfer their tenancy from Homes Victoria to a registered Aboriginal community housing provider, an initiative grounded in the principle of self-determination. This Andrews government will deliver 10 per cent of all new social housing from our landmark $5.3 billion Big Housing Build to First Nations Victorians. That is 820 new homes for First Peoples right here in Victoria, and these programs are already making a difference. The Victorian Government Aboriginal Affairs Report, more colloquially known as VGAAR, for 2022 shows that we are reducing mortgage stress and reducing rental stress for First Peoples in Victoria, but of course we all know that there is much, much more work to be done, more houses to be built and more rental barriers to break down – work that has been and continues to be driven by strong community organisations like Aboriginal Housing Victoria, work that will increasingly be led and controlled by community as we continue this historic nation-leading journey to treaty in Victoria and the path to self-determination. We all know that is what gets the very best results.