Wednesday, 16 August 2023

Ministers statements: Big Housing Build

Colin BROOKS (Bundoora – Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:25): We know at the moment there is no more important issue than housing, in particular the need for more social housing. I want to update the house on our Big Housing Build, where we are building more than 12,000 social and affordable homes right across the state, with $5.3 billion being invested and $1.25 billion being invested in regional Victoria. I was out recently with the member for Glen Waverley at Vermont, where we were inspecting 34 homes that are being built in partnership with Women’s Housing Limited –

Richard Riordan interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Polwarth can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Polwarth withdrew from chamber.

Colin BROOKS: with the members for Wendouree, Eureka and Ripon, where we were looking at the new mental health housing and announcing $85 million for new mental health homes, with 214 to be built across the state; and with the member for Pascoe Vale, where we were out at the Harvest Square development inspecting 119 homes that are underway with Women’s Housing Limited as well. But despite the fact that we get opposition often from the Liberals, Nationals and Greens to these projects, we are building projects in their areas as well – hundreds of homes in Bills Street, Hawthorn; Bangs Street, Prahran, where we were out yesterday with the Prime Minister and the Premier; and Halcyon at Brighton East.

On top of the many, many projects that we are delivering right across the state, we are going to deliver a $1 billion regional housing package to boost social and affordable housing in regional Victoria as well. We will continue to work with the federal Labor government to deliver more social housing through the accelerator fund and encourage people to pass housing through the Senate. We know there is a very clear divide in the country at the moment and here in Victoria between Labor governments, which get on with the job of building social housing, and the axis of evil – the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens – which always oppose more social housing.