Housing

The Coalition Government is committed to providing a housing system which supports all Victorians and gives everyone a secure starting point from which to build skills, gain employment and participate fully in society.

We recognise that Victoria’s housing system is fundamental to our productivity and our economy.

The Government acknowledges the changing housing needs of Victorians – changing household size and composition, changing aspirations and choices – and we know the housing system needs to respond to these changes and work as effectively as possible.

Our priorities include:

• addressing youth homelessness, and meeting the need for economic participation, through investment in three new Youth Foyers to create opportunities for young people to build life skills and follow pathways to better futures for themselves and their families;
• improving work and training opportunities for public housing tenants through piloting work and learning centres on five public housing estates, to break the cycle of generational disadvantage;
• further developing Victoria’s not-for-profit housing association sector, and continuing to partner with the community sector to deliver services which cater for needs of the most vulnerable Victorians; and
• ensuring that Victorians in need are housed more quickly in available public housing properties.

We are committed to improving the housing system to meet the diverse and changing needs of Victorian families, now and into the future.

Achievements and policies implemented in the first year of Coalition Government

• Announced development of a Victorian Housing Framework
• Launched a new four-year, $76.7 million Homelessness Action Plan to tackle homelessness across Victoria. The Plan supports innovative projects to address homelessness, investigates models that specifically focus on early intervention and prevention, and provides better targeted resources so that they are available when and where they are needed
• Announced and funded five Work and Learning Centres
• Commenced upgrading 1,800 public housing properties
• Commenced building 1,600 new public housing properties
• Tightened the laws to evict public housing tenants using their homes for drug dealing and other crime
• Commenced planning the rollout of three Youth Foyers to assist vulnerable young people
• Paved the way for the reform of regulations covering rooming houses to improve quality and safety for residents
• Introduced security pilot project at a Richmond housing estate including the introduction of CCTV cameras and the establishment of a police command post on the estate

Related media releases »