Shadow Minister for Housing Richard Riordan has addressed the Gippsland Homelessness Network, calling out the Allan Labor Government's failure to deliver on its promises to tackle homelessness and expand social housing in Victoria.
Despite nearly five years of rhetoric and the so-called "Big Housing Build," the numbers tell a story of failure and wasted opportunity.
In 2020, the State Labor Government promised to build 12,000 new homes and grow Victoria's social housing stock by 10 per cent - the government has failed to meet its own target.
This is the Allan Labor Government's Report Card:
- Social housing has only grown by 4,390 homes - less than half of what was promised.
- Even worse, there are now 423 fewer bedrooms available in Victoria's social housing stock - falling from 157,025 in June 2020 to 156,602 in June 2024.
- The social housing waitlist has grown 25 per cent since the start of the Big Housing Build, with 66,117 Victorian families now desperately waiting for a home.
- And yet, the Allan Government is refusing to release current waiting list data, which has been hidden for more than a month.
Shadow Minister for Housing Richard Riordan said:
"Labor claims to have spent nearly $6 billion on homelessness, yet there are tens of thousands of people on the waitlist, wait times continue to blow out and we now have fewer bedrooms to house vulnerable Victorians."
"The Allan Government has spent millions in the Supreme Court to hide its public housing plans. It has refused to release current waiting lists and housing numbers. It is time for Minister Shing and Premier Allan to stop hiding behind a hard hat and hi-vis and come clean with Victorians on the real state of public housing in Victoria."
"Labor can't manage money, can't manage housing and vulnerable Victorians are paying the price."
