It is an honour to rise in this chamber in support of the member for Footscray’s matter of public importance, and I would like to acknowledge the member for Footscray’s excellent contribution. Today I am honoured to speak about why Victoria is number one for approving and building new homes and number one for supporting renters. Melbourne is a global city, and it is not a museum where everything stays the same, for our best years lie ahead of us. The Allan Labor government is delivering the necessary reforms that will help cater to our growing population, projected to reach the size of London’s by 2050. These reforms are underpinned by the landmark Victorian housing statement released last year. This statement is charting the course for the next decade across planning reform, housing construction and strengthened rights for Victorian renters. We know it is a bold plan. We are committed to this bold plan because we are fully aware of the pressures many Victorians are under when it comes to housing and housing affordability.
This Labor government understands that if we do not take decisive policy action the pressure will only grow as Victoria’s population soars beyond 10 million in the coming years. This is why we will be using every lever available to the government to create the conditions to deliver our landmark $6.3 billion investment in housing. We are streamlining planning decisions to make good decisions faster. We are building more housing closer to jobs and amenities, and we are strengthening the rights of renters. There is no shortage of work before us. While those opposite bury their heads in the sand, we are creating more opportunities for young people, helping millennials into homes and ensuring our kids and grandkids know that owning a home is within their reach. I am proud to be part of an Allan Labor government which is committed to doing the work and delivering outcomes for Victorian families, including those in my electorate of Glen Waverley, where a crucial part of Australia’s largest housing project lies: the Suburban Rail Loop East.
The Suburban Rail Loop is a shining example of our commitment to creating a better future for all Victorians. It will forever change Melbourne. It will revolutionise how we move, how we work, how we study and the communities we live in. It will help by tackling housing supply and affordability, with 70,000 new homes that will be delivered in the right places. This rail line will attract more homes and businesses as people choose to live closer to world-class public transport with quality jobs, services, amenities and open spaces nearby. We are working with the community, councils and key stakeholders to ensure that growth is well planned and delivers high-quality neighbourhoods along the SRL rail network. Those who want to block this project and the homes it will bring prefer to do nothing. They take the easy way out, but we are not blockers; we are builders. We are delivering this project because we cannot afford not to.
On Sunday I joined the member for Ashwood and the member for Box Hill to welcome the Premier and the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop to the east for an important and exciting announcement. The fact that the announcement took place in the member for Box Hill’s electorate did not dampen my excitement. We announced the signing of the contract to build the twin tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill. By 2026 there will be 4000 workers on the SRL East, with four tunnel-boring machines in the ground and twin tunnels being built, with major construction underway at every one of the six station sites. When delivered it will transform the way people move across Melbourne, and even more importantly, it will also deliver 70,000 homes in our lovely communities where people want to live. It is a testament to our commitment to a brighter housing future for all Victorians, and with the announcement on Sunday we are getting another step closer.
There is more work to do. The Allan Labor government is using every tool at our disposal to get on with approving and building more homes for Victorians. That is why in addition to the Suburban Rail Loop we are making the most of existing land in established suburbs to make room for more homes and more opportunities for everyone. We are doing so by unlocking and rezoning in both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria across over 50 activity centres, which creates the conditions to build 300,000 more homes by 2051. Our efforts to deliver new homes in established areas will take pressure off the urban fringe, leading to shorter commutes and homes near services, jobs and open spaces. We are committed to ensuring that growth is well planned and delivers high-quality neighbourhoods. This approach is in stark contrast to the haphazard rezoning of Fishermans Bend by the member for Bulleen, done overnight without any planning.
Our commitment to housing development and support for renters is unwavering. The Suburban Rail Loop and our efforts to unlock surplus government land are just two examples of how we are leading the way. At the same time we know more Victorians are renting than ever before, and that is why we are committed to further strengthening renters rights. For the benefit of the house, I thought I would take a trip down memory lane to look up the reforms in this space. My research looking into the last Victorian Liberal government returned an unsurprising 404 error. I am sure you are all well aware what the 404 error is. The policy inaction of the previous Victorian Liberal government resulted in no rental rights reforms. Fast-forward to the current Allan Labor government; the contrast could not be clearer.
I am proud to be part of a Labor government that takes action protecting and strengthening the rights of renters. Victorians are renting more than ever before, and it falls on us to take action. Back in 2021 we passed 130 strengthened protections for renters. Some highlights of this package of reforms included stronger antidiscrimination provisions, maximum bond amounts and limits to rent paid in advance. We also capped rent increases to once a year. We introduced mandatory minimum standards and expanded the definition of ‘urgent repair’.
Earlier this year I was honoured to support the passing of the Estate Agents, Residential Tenancies and Other Acts Amendment (Funding) Bill 2024, where we continued to build on our action to protect renters rights and make the system fairer and more reliable for renters. We banned all types of rental bidding and closed the loopholes to make it illegal. We made rental bonds portable rather than having to pay a brand new bond each time. We also increased the notice required for rent increases and evictions to 90 days, and we created Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria to make it faster and easier to solve issues and disputes.
With more Victorians renting than ever before, we know that the number of rental disputes has increased, and the process of dealing with disputes is stressful and time-consuming. For many renters the cost of the process also adds to the already increased cost of living. Renters should not have to find themselves caught up in a protracted VCAT case to have straightforward repairs carried out to get their bond returned. Timely, affordable and proportionate access to justice in these situations matters deeply, and the creation of Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria is a crucial piece of this puzzle. By establishing this independent agency we took a positive step towards meaningful change to Victoria’s rental dispute resolution landscape, and we have made it fairer, faster and cheaper for Victorian renters and landlords.
Put together, these changes are about ensuring that Victorian renters can make their house a home and giving landlords peace of mind. It is important work, and I am proud to be part of the Allan Labor government, which has made this a reality. It is truly a team effort to make it a reality. I would like to acknowledge all the work being done to realise the aims and ambitions of Victoria’s housing statement, to build the Suburban Rail Loop as the biggest housing project in Australia and to support and strengthen renters rights. Whether it be the Minister for Planning at the table, the Minister for Precincts and Minister for Development Victoria, the Minister for Consumer Affairs or the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, under the leadership of the Premier there is a power of work being undertaken in this space.
I am proud that Victoria is leading the nation on renters rights. I am proud that Victoria continues to lead the nation in the supply and construction of new homes. I am proud that Victoria is number one in home approvals and number one in home starts and home completions. I am proud that Victoria is number one in approving and building new homes and number one for supporting renters, and I thank the wonderful member for Footscray for raising this matter of public importance.
