Victorian Liberals lose planning fight over social housing drive

“Local people need to have a say on what gets built over their back fence,” Mr Smith said.

“Melburnians are fair-minded and decent people – they know public housing is a social good. Equally, they have a right as a Melburnian living in a democracy, through our planning system, to say what they approve of and what they do not approve of through their local council in their local area.

“The Labor Party and [Housing Minister] Richard Wynne can carry on like pork chops, but all I’m saying is … allow normal planning processes to apply to public housing development, like you do with private housing development.”

Last year, Mr Wynne said his government’s decision would fast-track the application process by up to 15 months, and that housing providers would still be required to consult with councils and communities, and appeal rights to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal would remain.

Mr Wynne sharply criticised the opposition’s motion, describing it as “disgraceful”.

“Just 24 hours after the release of the mental health royal commission’s report, where they have absolutely indicated just the critical importance of safe, affordable and secure housing, the opposition seeks to block the ambitions of the government to build 2000 units for people suffering mental health issues,” Mr Wynne said.

Loading

Under the changes, Energy and Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio would take responsibility for planning decisions to prevent any conflict of interest Mr Wynne might have, given he is also the Planning Minister.

Borondoora and Stonnington councils, as well as the Municipal Association of Victoria, have expressed concerns residents would not be able to have a “meaningful opportunity” to influence decisions.

On Tuesday, Mr Smith had said the government was attempting to “ram” through planning applications shrouded in secrecy and ignore the concerns of local communities.

“Local councils and local residents are quite concerned that they’re not going to have a say on what public and social housing is going to be built in their area,” Mr Smith said.

“Labor can dog-whistle, running these tawdry old-fashioned class war arguments, but at the end of the day you can’t dismiss the fact you’re going to be ignoring the wishes of local residents.”

Last year, Premier Daniel Andrews said the fast-tracked process was required because many Victorians, estimated to be more than 100,000 by a tenants’ association, were waiting for a home. He said the accelerated process would also aid the construction sector, which had been badly hit by coronavirus lockdowns.

In November, Mr Wynne announced a $5.3 billion boost to social housing to tackle homelessness and create construction jobs in the biggest single outlay on social housing in the state’s history.

Public housing makes up 1.9 per cent of Victoria’s housing stock, the lowest of any Australian state, compared with an average of 4.6 per cent in OECD countries.