Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Banksia Gardens public housing estate

Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (19:11): (376) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing, and the action I seek is for the minister to join me to visit the Banksia Gardens housing estate in Broadmeadows. Last Thursday we had the really exciting visit to Broadmeadows with our fabulous new Premier Jacinta Allan, the federal Minister for Housing Julie Collins, our wonderful housing minister Harriet Shing and our local federal member Maria Vamvakinou. It was all-star cast of women announcing the biggest investment in Broadmeadows in history – so far – with $80 million to build 120 new homes at Banksia Gardens.

This announcement has been so well received and long awaited. I have been strongly advocating for this project for over 18 months, and I would like to thank fellow advocates Julijana Todorovic, Gina Dougall, Jaime de Loma-Osorio Ricon and the team from Banksia Gardens Community Services; councillors Joseph Haweil, Karen Sherry, Naim Kurt, Sam Misho and Hume City Council; members of the Broadmeadows Revitalisation Board; and our friends from Labor for Housing.

Only Labor is delivering real action on housing, and this social housing project is funded 50–50 between the federal and state Labor governments. With record investments in our Big Housing Build and the social housing accelerator, Labor governments are working together and delivering projects to ensure people have a safe place to call home. I also express my sincere gratitude to the former housing minister Colin Brooks, his wonderful staff, the Broadmeadows housing office and Homes Victoria for their incredible work in delivering this much-needed project.

The new homes will be modern, comfortable and environmentally sustainable and will include fully accessible units for people with disabilities, right in the heart of Broadmeadows close to shops, services and education facilities. Construction of the new homes will get underway next year and will create more than 700 local jobs. The ground floor of the development will include services to support both current and future residents, and there will be a new cycling and pedestrian link to connect the centre of Banksia Gardens to Coleraine Street, with the magnificent Kangan Institute, Labor’s $60 million health and community services centre of excellence currently being built and the new tech school that we announced in the election, which is about to be built. It is all happening. I would have loved to have shown Minister Shing all of this last Thursday, but it was teeming with rain, so I would love her to come back so I can show her around the estate and introduce her to some of the wonderful residents there.

On top of all this work, Broadmeadows has also been announced as a focus activity centre in the housing statement, and I thank Minister Kilkenny and her office for taking the time to talk to residents, including at a meeting her adviser and I had yesterday with the wonderful Sonja and John Rutherford from the Broadmeadows Progress Association.