The Andrews Labor Government today released its landmark package to boost housing supply and affordability in Victoria – representing the biggest shake-up to planning and housing reform in generations.
Victoria is growing. We’re the fastest growing state in Australia, with our population set to hit 10.3 million by 2051. To ease the housing pressure Victorians are facing, we need to build 2.24 million homes in that time, including a target of 425,600 across regional and rural Victoria.
Victoria’s Housing Statement – The Decade Ahead 2024-2034 also sets a bold target to build 800,000 new homes – 80,000 a year – across the state over the next 10 years, delivered through an Affordability Partnership with the housing industry.
The Housing Statement focuses on five key areas to tackle the root of the problem – housing supply:
Good decisions, made faster: reforming Victoria’s planning system, clearing the backlog of planning permits, giving builders, buyers and renovators certainty about how long approvals will take – and a clear pathway to resolve issues quickly if those timeframes aren’t met
Cheaper housing, closer to where you work: unlocking new spaces to stop urban sprawl, building more homes closer to where people have the transport, roads, hospitals and schools they need and delivering vital, basic community infrastructure
Protecting renters’ rights: closing loopholes that drive up the cost of living for renters, giving tenants more certainty over their leases, living standards and finances, and resolving disputes faster to keep them out of VCAT
More social housing: rapidly accelerating the rollout of social and affordable homes across Victoria and launching Australia’s biggest urban renewal project across Melbourne’s 44 high-rise social housing towers
A long-term housing plan: delivering a long-term plan to guide how our state grows in the decades ahead, and reviewing the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to build a planning system that works with Victorians – not against them.
In recognition of the joint effort needed to ease the housing pressure Victorians face, the Labor Government today signed the Affordability Partnership alongside the Property Council of Australia, Master Builders Victoria, the Urban Development Institute of Australia, the Housing Industry Association and Super Housing Partnerships.
As part of the Partnership, the Government will foster the conditions needed to stimulate investment and build high-quality homes faster in the places where Victorians want to live – and the industry will build more housing for the Victorians who need it most.
At the same time, we’ll give certainty to the sector and Victorians alike by building the infrastructure our growing state needs – and continuing to invest in training for the skills our economy needs, too.
The work being facilitated as part of this Housing Statement will support 16,000 jobs across Victoria.
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As stated by Premier Daniel Andrews
“The status quo is not an option, and admiring the problem will only make it worse. Unless we take bold and decisive action now, Victorians will be paying the price for generations to come.”
“Whether you’re buying your first place, upsizing or downsizing as life changes, or renting – the work we’re doing will mean there’ll be a place you can afford, and that you can call home.”
As stated by Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan
“Unlocking the potential in and around our major transport projects in Melbourne’s inner and middle suburbs is a key focus of our Housing Statement which will deliver more homes, more jobs and better-connected services.”
As stated by Treasurer Tim Pallas
“This Housing Statement forms the first step of our work with industry to build the homes Victorians need for the decades ahead – not the last – and we’ll keep working with the sector and local communities alike to get on with it.”
As stated by Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny
“We’ll boost housing supply, make sure good decisions are made faster and give industry greater certainty with a planning system that works for Victorians – not against them.”
As stated by Minister for Housing Colin Brooks
“We know that having a home provides a solid foundation enabling people to hold down jobs, access education and raise a family – and that’s what we’re delivering.”
As stated by Minister for Consumer Affairs Danny Pearson
“More people are renting than ever before – so we’re closing loopholes, giving renters more certainty and security over their leases and ensuring tenancy disputes are resolved faster.”
