Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Housing

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:16): (355) My question is to the Minister for Housing. It was revealed today that since 2018 Victoria’s public housing stock has increased by just 394, despite the state being three years into what is claimed to be the nation’s biggest housing build. Given that the Big Housing Build promised to construct more than 9300 new social homes, can the minister advise when it is expected that that promise will be achieved?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:17): Thank you, Mr Mulholland, for your, again, sudden interest in social housing, which as a consequence of this unprecedented investment of $5.3 billion across Victoria is really leading the nation as we continue to deliver on those homes as part of 12,000 additional social housing homes to come online, plus an additional $1 billion as part of a regional housing build to provide at least 1300 new social housing units across rural and regional Victoria.

We are really determined to make sure that we continue this work, and across Victoria we are talking about more than 280 construction sites. We are talking about more than 10,000 jobs. We are talking about 7600 homes that are either completed or in the process of being completed and meeting that need in terms of accessibility and amenity and proximity to the communities where people can access everything from kinder and primary and secondary schools to health care right through to public transport. It is in communities such as Brighton, Mr Mulholland – notwithstanding the protests and the howls of derision that came from the other side of the chamber about whether people could fit in without the iPads and without the sneakers that they might otherwise have thought to be requiring in order to make it – Prahran, St Kilda, Port Melbourne and Flemington.

We are also moving to make sure that as we deliver on this commitment of 12,000 homes we are progressing this work in a way that creates jobs around the state. We are also making sure that we continue our progress, which includes moving more than 7000 households into social housing across the state between 2022 and 2023, which is an increase of 21 per cent on the previous year. It is also a really important thing to note, Mr Mulholland, that 60 per cent – not as otherwise reported, but 60 per cent – of the Big Housing Build has been allocated to date as at September. We are continuing to work on making sure that when and as we deliver that housing stock it is done in the ways that community need and in the ways that residents are asking for, that it sits alongside the maintenance and the upgrade work that we are doing, that it is taking place in partnership with the community housing sector and with the Commonwealth, which is funding more than 879 additional homes as part of a $497 million investment, and that we are partnering with those important agencies and the private sector to deliver on this record investment.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:20): Minister, between June 2017 and June 2023 the average wait time for families on the public housing register increased from 10.5 months to 18.1 months. Can the minister advise when it is expected that wait times will fall?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:20): Mr Mulholland, we are continuously working to make sure that wait times are addressed and that people have what they need, including as that relates to areas of greatest need and vulnerability. We have continued to work to make sure, for example, that people who are victims and survivors of family violence, people who are in those immediate risk cohorts and people who have immediate need because of a risk to their safety or wellbeing are given access to immediate accommodation and to the wraparound services that they require. We have as part of the investment in the Big Housing Build, for example, provided more than 800 homes to –

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, on relevance, I asked when it is expected that wait times will fall. The minister has not come to that answer.

The PRESIDENT: I am happy to call the minister back to the question, but during her substantive answer once again I could hardly hear her because of noise from the side of the house that asked the question. So if I get a point of order that she has not answered the substantive question, I will have to take that on notice because I cannot hear her. I call the minister to get back to the question.

Harriet SHING: It is important to note that every single day Homes Victoria and the community housing sector are indeed working across the state with our partners in homelessness and the social and community services sector to bring that register down and to make sure, as we are doing with specific cohorts, that those register waiting times are already coming down.