Tuesday, 31 October 2023

North-Eastern Metropolitan Region

Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:04): (503) My constituency question today is for the Minister for Housing, and the question is this: how will the minister ensure the views of Victorians living in community housing in my electorate are carefully considered and that complaints are handled thoughtfully and efficiently? It was earlier this year that a constituent of mine contacted my office about what she detailed as her disturbing experience in community housing. She reported that she lived in a transitional property with another tenant and that her roommate had acted aggressively and violently towards her. The police were involved. It was further reported to me that the responsible registered housing agency did not take these matters seriously enough, and eventually my constituent was forced to flee the property. Now, there are issues here that are more widespread than my electorate, as per the Housing Registrar Sector Performance Report 2021–22. Nonetheless, given that my experience in noting these matters is limited to my electorate and given that the government rightly says that every Victorian deserves a safe and secure home, I would ask: what will the minister do to ensure tenant voices in my electorate are taken seriously by registered housing agencies?