Tuesday, 18 March 2025

Housing

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (19:11): (1067) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Housing and Building, and the action I seek is for the Allan Labor government to provide a house for a vulnerable family who have been languishing on the social housing waitlist for five years. The state Labor government have been in power for 10 years now. Their mismanagement of the housing sector is plain for all to see. There is a shortage of private rentals and soaring rents, which makes it difficult for many people to find accommodation. The Allan Labor government’s 60 new taxes, of which half are on land and property, have caused many property investors to sell up. This further reduces rental stock. These ill-conceived taxes have forced people out of rental properties, putting more pressure on public housing. The Allan Labor government’s underinvestment has resulted in not enough roofs over people’s heads.

It was an indication of how bad things are when a concerned community member reached out to me last week about a 79-year-old man who cannot find a rental property and has been living in a motel for the last six months. The Allan Labor government promised women fleeing domestic violence public rental housing within 10½ months, but data from the department shows that the average wait time is two years. Last year the Allan Labor government introduced a short-stay levy which makes it more expensive for women and children fleeing domestic violence to find short-stay accommodation. The Liberals asked the government to exempt them from this levy. The government were heartless and so desperate for cash that they rejected this amendment.

The social housing system is broken. There are massive waiting lists, and vulnerable members of the community languish endlessly for somewhere to call home. It is over a year since I raised the plight of Doug, a widower, and his two children. His daughter Nova, 10, has cerebral palsy and is totally dependent and cannot walk or speak. This desperate family have lived in motels and a bus, have depended on the generosity of friends by couch surfing and currently have some charitable temporary housing. They are effectively homeless, without security of tenure. The government told Doug to look for a private rental property. This was completely unrealistic. When his wife died he had to give up work to care for the children. This meant he could no longer service his mortgage, and the bank foreclosed. It is a tragic story. When the story was publicised on A Current Affair on 2 March last year, the department provided a statement saying they were exploring all avenues for them to find a suitable home. That has not happened. Another year has transpired, and the family are still waiting for an update on their status for social housing. Surely this family is the epitome of why we have social housing. The housing system is a mess, and the Allan Labor government have failed vulnerable Victorians like the Bowen family.