Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Ministers statements: planning policy

Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:32): Last week we launched our new Plan for Victoria, a plan for all of Victoria written by Victorians for Victorians. We travelled to every part of the state, met with every local council, conducted youth panels and people’s panels and attended farmers markets, shopping centres and train stations in this state’s biggest community consultation ever, and the response was big: 110,000 Victorians, who overwhelmingly told us they want more homes in good locations, close to transport, close to jobs and close to services.

And the Allan Labor government is delivering, starting with local government housing targets for every single local government area across the state. For the first time ever we can see on a map how many homes we need and where those homes need to go to give certainty to community, certainty to local councils and certainty to the people who are going to build our homes and deliver the infrastructure and services we need to live well.

We have to be builders, not blockers. For too long our outer suburban areas have carried the load when it comes to new homes whilst too many Victorians have been locked out of our inner suburbs – places close to jobs, transport and services. It is just not fair. As one member in this place put it, we cannot continue to have the housing sprawl that we have seen. Who said that? The member for Berwick, now Leader of the Opposition. That is what he stood for then – now missing in action, while just last week half his frontbench were out blocking more homes.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, thanks to former Speaker Brooks, a ministers statement is not an opportunity to attack the opposition.

Members interjecting.

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

James Newbury interjected.

The SPEAKER: Make that an hour.

Member for Brighton withdrew from chamber.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, the Manager of Opposition Business has already raised a point of order in relation to this matter, which you have already ruled out of order, and I would ask that you ask the Manager of Opposition Business to stop making frivolous points of order.

The SPEAKER: Minister for Planning, I ask you not to attack the opposition in your ministers statement.

Sonya KILKENNY: The Allan Labor government know what we stand for, and that is more homes and more opportunity for Victorians, and I want to thank local governments across Victoria for working with us to deliver more homes for Victorians.