Wednesday, 28 August 2024

Ministers statements: housing

Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Minister for Planning, Minister for the Suburbs) (14:34): We know there is nothing more important than finding a home – a safe, secure and affordable home – yet for many, many Victorians finding a home is becoming harder and harder, and it should not be. The Allan Labor government is doing something about this. If we are going to get more affordable homes, we need to build more of them and we need them close to jobs, transport and services. We need to share the places we love, but not everyone shares that view. Some start backing up the utes and tuning up the megaphones every time they hear of a housing project in their backyard. Their instinct is to block, not build, locking out younger generations from getting a home they deserve and stopping older generations from being able to stay close to the neighbourhoods they know and love. Their very own shadow housing spokesperson has called out this behaviour, labelling it immoral. And it is immoral and it is unfair.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, it is inappropriate for the minister to use a ministers statement to attack the opposition.

The SPEAKER: I ask the minister to come back to her ministers statement without reflecting on those opposite.

Sonya KILKENNY: It is nasty. How nasty can you get when those opposite look to blame our newest Victorians and our oldest Victorians –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is defying your ruling and, I presume, reading from a speech.

The SPEAKER: I ask the minister to come back to her ministers statement and not attack the opposition. Is the minister reading from notes?

Sonya KILKENNY: I am just referring to notes, Speaker. We will not scapegoat. We will not blame our newest Victorians or our oldest Victorians for the housing crisis. We say yes to more homes. We said yes to more homes in Frankston: 100 per cent affordable homes close to public transport, close to services, close to jobs. We said yes to over 300 homes in Sydney Road, Coburg, 195 of them affordable potential homes for nurses, for teachers, for retail workers, in a really fabulous location. And just this week, despite the objections from the member for Brighton, we said yes to 80 more homes in Brighton.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister has now defied you twice, and I would ask you to ask the minister to deliver something that does not just simply sledge the opposition.

The SPEAKER: The minister will come back to her ministers statement without reflecting on those opposite.

Sonya KILKENNY: The Allan Labor government is saying yes to more homes because this government’s priority is making sure every Victorian has a home that they deserve.

Members interjecting.

Sonya KILKENNY: You can huff and you can puff; you are not blowing any more homes down.