Wednesday, 27 November 2024

 John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (10:11): I have two matters to address today. First, a reminder that only the Allan Labor government is delivering public and affordable housing in Victoria and in my community of Southern Metro. In South Yarra and Prahran – areas I know very well, as my office is there – the Simmons Street and Essex Street developments are providing my community with 677 brand new homes, boosting the amount of social housing, including a 34 per cent increase on Simmons Street and 37 per cent on Essex Street. With the limited time I have I want to draw attention to a few of the hallmarks of these two projects: the dedicating of housing for single women and their children; their modern, all-electric and energy-efficient features; the inclusion of specialist disability builds; and the new community infrastructure these projects bring to the community, including 13,500 square metres of public open space, cafes, bakeries, gyms, rental areas and co-working spaces that all the community can enjoy together. I am proud that in this term we will get this done.