The Victorian Labor Government began its Big Housing Build in 2020 with a grand promise of 12,000 new homes, however the Auditor-General reported that as of March 2024, the government had already spent $2.9 billion of its planned $5.6 billion dollars, only to see a net decrease in homes.
Official figures have confirmed between June 2023 and December 2023 total public housing supply in fact decreased by 446 homes.
Then, in July this year, the Allan Labor Government approved tenders to demolish over 600 homes by September 2025 as it begins it public housing towers redevelopment. This will displace thousands of people from Flemington and North Melbourne, with hundreds more to be demolished in Prahran, Richmond and South Melbourne.
To solve the issue of nowhere to rehouse people in these towers, the Allan Labor Government is seeking to vacuum up all available rental homes in Albion, Ardeer, Braybrook, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Sunshine, Sunshine North, Sunshine West, Brunswick, Brunswick East, Brunswick West, Carlton, Carlton North, East Melbourne, Kensington, North Melbourne Mambourin, Prices Hill and West Melbourne, with long term private rental arrangements locking in five per cent rent increases.
Shadow Minister for Housing, Richard Riordan, said: “Until the Allan Labor Government can create extra homes for public housing tenants it must immediately cease its demolition plans of public housing.
“Using the private rental market as a stop gap for public housing will make it even harder for other Victorians to afford to rent a home and will drive rental prices through the roof in an Allan Government-led housing crisis.
“This crisis has been orchestrated and driven by appalling project management and out of control taxes. Now we see the government using Victorian’s money to drive rental prices higher and to further restrict private rental options.
“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage housing and Victorians are paying the price.”
