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Housing Minister Richard Wynne must come clean about the effect the Rudd Government’s mismanagement of stimulus funds will have on the supply of new public housing promised to Victoria. Shadow Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell said she was incredibly disappointed that $750 million had been cut from the Federal Government’s social housing budget. “The Minister needs to come clean and tell Victorians how much of the $750 million was shaved off Victoria’s share and how many housing units will be lost to the state due to the Federal Government’s poor planning and haste,” Ms Lovell said. “The housing funding cut is concerning given Victoria’s public housing waiting list continues to escalate. “In March 2009 Victoria’s public housing waiting list reached a seven-year high, with 38,980 vulnerable families waiting to be housed. “The government’s figures for the June quarter, which are now overdue, will reveal how many more have joined the waiting list since March. “Over the past 10 years the state Labor government has failed to provide adequate investment in new public housing. The Brumby Government was relying on this funding from the Federal Government to cover up its housing failures. “The federal and state Labor governments have built up the hopes of Victoria’s most vulnerable families, some of whom will miss out on the chance of a home if the state’s supply of new public housing is slashed.” Ms Lovell said welfare groups were right to be concerned and dismayed by the housing funding cut which conflicts with the Federal Government’s ambitious plans to halve homelessness by 2020. “Some welfare agencies are turning away 80 per cent of families needing housing. These families have no choice but to sleep in rooming houses, motels, caravan parks, their cars or on the streets,” Ms Lovell said. “Richard Wynne needs to realise there is a crisis in housing and he is the Minister directly responsible. Every month more and more people are forced to wait with no security. “With more families facing an uncertain future because the Brumby Government has failed to protect Victorian jobs, is running the state’s economy close to deficit, and is hiking up charges for basic services including water and electricity, Richard Wynne can’t afford to ignore the overwhelming demand for public housing any longer,” Ms Lovell. BRUCE BILLSON MP and INGA PEULICH MLC - STATEMENTS IN FEDERAL AND STATE PARLIAMENTS  BRUCE BILLSON 12 August - Last evening in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament, the State Labor Member for Frankston, Alistair Harkness, made false and profoundly offensive statements under privilege to attack me, to associate my local advocacy with racism and to accuse me of inciting a racist campaign against Africans. I completely refute and comprehensively reject that association that Mr Harkness has tried to create between me, my advocacy on behalf of the Frankston community and council and the flyer to which he referred in parliament. The first awareness of any kind I had about the flyer resulted from the speech containing the disgraceful and malicious allegations and accusations that Mr Harkness gave in the Legislative Assembly last night. The Member for Frankston identified me as ‘a leader of a community campaign’ concerning secret plans for disadvantaged persons housing in Frankston. He went on to describe a ‘racist flyer’ that had been circulated in sections of Frankston City over the weekend, and claimed that I had ‘misrepresented the facts and incited the sort of response we saw last weekend’. The State Labor Member for Frankston then named me and a State Liberal MP, specifically, and my political party generally, as associated with ‘this sort of racist propaganda’ and how it was ‘imperative’ for me to take some undefined action. My media releases of 23 and 31 July and public statements from which media reporting has been derived made no mention of any matter even remotely related to race, immigration and acts of violence, which Mr Harkness has sought to raise and politically exploit. There has been no factual error or misrepresentation in my advocacy and public statements as I have relied upon uncontested material from the 9 July letter from the Frankston City Mayor that urged me to support the Council’s call for openness and consultation and factual information provided to Council by senior State Government Housing officials. Finally, the assertion by Mr Harkness that raising concerns and calls for ending the secrecy about the ham-fisted handling of this matter amounts to opposition to social housing is simply wrong and without foundation. Mr Harkness should do the right and honourable thing: unconditionally withdraw his appalling accusations and baseless allegations; stop his office responding to calls about the pamphlet by directing them to my office as if I am responsible for its production; and apologise for the damage to character and reputation of, and attaching improper motives to, individuals only interested in standing up for our community and who have behaved openly and honourably in doing so.  INGA PEULICH - 12 AUGUST - During last night’s adjournment debate contribution made by the member for Frankston in the other place certain imputations were made against the federal member for Dunkley, Bruce Billson, me and councillors, both Labor and Liberal, of Kingston and Frankston councils about concerns in relation to the shoe-horning of significant numbers of social and public housing units in high-rise developments being fast-tracked through the collaborative efforts of the federal government’s economic stimulus funding,assisted by the Minister for Housing and fast-tracked by the Minister for Planning. The deviation from previous models of delivering social and public housing to high-density models often in inappropriate locations and often bypassing due process are legitimate issues for public debate, despite Minister Wynne’s sentiments about Frankston people that they ‘p’ him off — and that is his expression. This is a scurrilous attempt to link these concerns by the member for Frankston to a vile and unauthorised flyer. I understand that the member for Frankston, Dr Harkness, has called on the Attorney-General to take some action. I call on Dr Harkness to take this flyer to the police immediately and also to issue a statutory declaration giving an undertaking and a guarantee that he has had nothing to do with the circulation or production of this flyer, which attempts to find an escape hatch for his policy mess.
Mrs Peulich — On a point of order, President, further to the matter I alluded to in my 90-second statement, I wish to raise as a point of order for your investigation the adjournment matter raised by Dr Harkness, the member for Frankston, in theLegislative Assembly last night entitled ‘Housing: Frankston flyer’. I will not refer to the detail of this matter because that would be against standing orders; however, Dr Harkness made imputations of racism against both the federal Liberal member for Dunkley,Bruce Billson, and myself as well as Frankston and Kingston councillors both Liberal and Labor. Much of the content of his contribution was unparliamentary, offensive and, again, falsely imputed motives of racism which are unacceptable. I ask that the Presidentinvestigate the comments made by Dr Harkness and procure a public apology. All members of Parliament are united in their stance against racism, and any attempt to falsely impute or invoke racism is counterproductive to a cohesive Australia and Victoria. Again, I ask that the President investigate these matters and procure an apology, because I believe Dr Harkness has breached several standing orders. The PRESIDENT — Order! Mrs Peulich has raised what I consider to be a reasonably important matter. I am not convinced that there is much I can do about this matter, given that it was raised by a member in another place and a point of order was taken and dealt with in that place. I feel limited in what I can do, but I will take advice on the matter and ascertain what it is appropriate for me to do and get back to the member.COMMUNITY OUTRAGE LIKELY TO FORCE HOUSING BACKDOWN Bruce Bilson MP - 2 August - Demands that the State Government ‘come clean’ with plans for multi-story homeless and disadvantaged person housing projects in the Frankston Central Activities District are likely to have produced early results. Late last week, reports were emerging that State Housing officials were revising secret plans for Frankston by reducing the number of accommodation units targeted for the City from 386 to less than half that original number. Local council representatives will meet with senior State Housing officials early this week to try and extract concrete details about the State Government’s plans, how it will properly consult the local community, what advice it will accept about proper siting of facilities and necessary support services and how homeless and disadvantaged housing could be addressed without undermining a positive and cohesive vision for Frankston City. In one of a number of bits and pieces of reassurance provided to the council and community after the State Government’s secret plans were revealed to the public, a target of 125 units has been mentioned but there are still no details of the location, distribution, client-mix and support services that must accompany projects of this kind. I remain very concerned that State Government officials appear to still favour multi-story compact accommodation for the homeless and disadvantage on small sites in our downtown area in what will be some of the tallest building in our city. Compressing many homeless people and disadvantaged tenants, many of whom are said to have drug and alcohol, mental health, and transition from prison challenges, all of which require support services and supervision, into towers in our trading area, will only amplify the challenges and alienate these clients from the very community that is willing to do its bit to help these individuals through the difficulties they face. Frankston is a warm, welcoming community and a city with a vibrant and positive future. The need for additional accommodation for homeless and disadvantaged people has been highlighted for many years and the community is willing to do its fair share to help address this broader community, economic and social challenge. But this openness and goodwill does not extend to heavy-handed State and Federal Government’s thinking it can simply dump hundreds of homeless and disadvantaged people on our door without consultation, community engagement and assurances that proper support, resourcing and management arrangements will accompany the tenants. I call on the State and federal Labor Government‘s to stop hiding behind ‘stimulus’ secrecy screens and to bring into open plans, funding decisions and approval processes for the homeless and disadvantaged housing schemes it has earmarked for Frankston. The community campaign led by local Federal Member Bruce Billson and Frankston City Council calling for the State Housing Minister to end the secrecy surrounding plans to construct nearly 386 housing units in Frankston by bypassing local Council and community consultation and town planning processes Community concern turned to outrage when the many justified concerns and legitimate call for openness was met by the State Housing Minister, Richard Wynne declaring to a metropolitan newspaper that "The Frankston people really p--- me off". Given Minister Wynne’s antics and action to ignore the local council and local community, he is hardly the flavour of the month for the people of Frankston. Minister Wynne should direct his attention and efforts at properly engaging the Frankston Council and local community about his secret plans to dump disadvantaged and homeless people into our City rather than pay out on the people that have put a spotlight onto his mismanagement of projects that require a great deal of care and thoughtfulness.
LABOR TO FORCE PUBLIC HOUSING ON FRANKSTON CAD
23 July - Bruce Billson MP - Frankston City looks set for 400 new public housing units, with many earmarked for large, multi-storey facilities in the Central Activities District, as part of the Rudd Government’s ‘stimulus’ spending on housing for the homeless, lower income families and the disadvantaged. Despite repeated efforts by Frankston City Council to be consulted about the plans and how such project will be properly sited, supported and integrated into broader strategies for Frankston City, the Council and local community continues to be ignored by the Federal and State Labor Governments. As information trickles out about proposals being submitted for approval and funding by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, local community outrage is building about what kind of housing developments Frankston will be ‘fitted up with’ by Spring Street and Canberra. Under the banner of ‘national building’ stimulus spending, the housing projects are bypassing local Council and community consultation and town planning processes as the State Planning Minister ‘calls in’ the projects for approval. It might be handy for the State and Federal Labor Governments to ride rough shod over the local community, proper consultation processes and normal town planning approval requirements, but this current political convenience with have implications for our community for decades to come. All the Council is being told is that it will host 29 units in the first stage and 357 units under the second stage of the Social Housing Initiative, part of the overall plan, provides $6.4 billion to state and territory governments (Victoria's allocation is $1.6 billion over the next three years) to boost the supply of rental housing currently available for disadvantaged Australians. The State Government is refusing to say if the 386 units is the total number destined for Frankston, where they might be located in the city nor the client group or management and support arrangements that will be put in place to ensure that the tenants can be successfully incorporated into our community. Locations being canvassed include an 80 unit development at the cleared site of 38 Playne Street, opposite the Frankston Post Office and 37 Beach Street, Frankston. State Housing officials refuse to confirm these locations or any others that may be involved in ‘behind closed door’ confidential negotiations. The Government is boasting that these construction works, most of which must be completed next year, will provide a significant boost to jobs and businesses in our community – while the community is concerned that it could potentially have quite a job and expensive business for decades to come dealing with these projects if they are handled and implemented poorly. Frankston is a warm, welcoming community and a city with a vibrant and positive future. The need for additional accommodation for homeless and disadvantaged people has been highlighted for many years and the community is willing to do its fair share to help address this broader community, economic and social challenge. But this openness and goodwill does not extend to heavy-handed State and Federal Government’s thinking it can simply dump hundreds of homeless and disadvantaged people on our door without consultation, community engagement and assurances that proper support, resourcing and management arrangements will accompany the tenants. I call on the State and federal Labor Government‘s to stop hiding behind ‘stimulus’ secrecy screens and to bring into open plans, funding decisions and approval processes for the homeless and disadvantaged housing schemes it has earmarked for Frankston. LABOR ROOMING HOUSE INITIATIVES TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE 15 July - Shadow Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell said Labor's promises today to improve conditions in rooming houses were years too late and cold comfort for the hundreds of Victorians who have already fallen victim to rogue operators. "While I welcome the government's latest commitment to improve Victoria's rooming house sector, the reality is it's too little, too late," Ms Lovell said. "The Labor Government has known for years that there was a problem in the rooming house sector and vulnerable Victorians were being preyed upon by a league of greedy rogue rooming house operators, yet failed to act until now. "Over the past two years the Minister for Housing has been well aware of rogue rooming house operators taking advantage of vulnerable Victorians who are unable to maintain rental in the private sector and languish on the public housing waiting list, which has reached a seven-year high. "Adequate minimum standards must be firmly enforced and rogue operators eliminated." Ms Lovell said she hoped the Consumer Affairs Victoria inspectors would help to ease the additional burden that the Brumby Government placed on local governments when it implemented its inadequate response to rooming house regulation. "Local councils have been struggling to adequately police rooming houses in their municipalities because of the unfair burden placed on them when the government made changes to the regulations earlier this year," Ms Lovell said. "Labor has only acted after housing agencies and welfare groups launched a campaign calling for improved conditions in rooming houses. "Instead of admitting Labor's failure and acting sooner, the Minister berated these agencies and groups for drawing attention to an issue for which he is responsible. "The many vulnerable Victorians who have no choice but to seek shelter in rooming houses will be hoping Labor delivers on the promises made today," Ms Lovell said. BRUMBY'S PUBLIC HOUSING WAITING LIST EXPLODES TO 7-YEAR HIGH 5 June 2009 - Files at the Office of Housing are bulging with new applications as vulnerable Victorians are forced to join the queue for public housing. "The Brumby Government's waiting list for public housing has exploded to a seven-year high, with 38,980 families now languishing on the government's public housing waiting list," Shadow Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell said today. "The ever-increasing waiting list highlights the Brumby Government's failure to deliver effective affordable housing policies over the past 10 years. This failure has led to a crisis across all levels of housing in Victoria. "In the March 2009 quarter alone 1,120 families joined the waiting list, bringing the total number of new applicants in the past 12 months to almost 3,600." Even more concerning was the increase in the number of vulnerable families waiting for urgent early housing. "There are now 9,980 families on the early housing waiting list - an increase of 804 families since December 2008. These are the most vulnerable Victorians who are homeless or at risk of homelessness," Ms Lovell said. "An increase of this magnitude in a single quarter is very alarming. Housing Minister Richard Wynne needs to stop making excuses and realise that more needs to be done to assist vulnerable Victorians who are unable to afford or sustain private rental housing. "Richard Wynne keeps hanging his hat on the 5,000 properties promised by the Federal Government as part of its economic stimulus package; but even if he could deliver them today, almost 34,000 vulnerable Victorians would still be left languishing on the public housing waiting list. "Richard Wynne needs to realise there is a crisis in housing and he is the Minister directly responsible. Every month more and more people are forced to wait with no security. "With more families facing an uncertain future because the Brumby Government has failed to protect Victorian jobs, is running the state's economy close to deficit, and is hiking up charges for basic services including water and electricity, Richard Wynne can't afford to ignore the overwhelming demand for public housing any longer. "It's time Richard Wynne took responsibility for Labor's ongoing failure to help families, it's time Labor realised it was making life harder for Victorians, and it's time the Minister got on with the job of providing homes for the growing number of vulnerable Victorians," Ms Lovell said. | PUBLIC HOUSING CRISIS IN FRANKSTON | | | |
| Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | | South Eastern Metropolitan MP Gordon Rich-Phillips is dismayed by the latest housing figures which indicate that the number of families waiting for ‘Early Housing’ in Frankston surged by 33% between September and December of 2008.
According to the Office of Housing the number of families on Early Housing List increased from 169 to 225 in the Frankston area during those three months.
‘Early Housing is for people experiencing or at risk of recurring homelessness, people with a disability who have significant support needs, and people with special housing needs.‘
“In fact, to qualify for the Early Housing List you have to be virtually homeless with no prospects of finding accommodation in the private rental market, which means we have at least 225 very desperate families in the Frankston area that have been badly let down by the Brumby Government,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.
“Meanwhile, the register of those on the Wait Turn List for eligible families on low incomes continues to climb.
“Families on the Early Housing List can still wait up to 2 years, and as long as this list continues to grow people on the Wait Turn List don’t have a chance of being offered housing.
“As of December 2008 there were 1,719 families in the Frankston area on the Wait Turn List, at this rate they will never be housed.
“The list of families needing public housing has ballooned by disturbing proportions under the Brumby Government.
“In return for putting their trust in the Brumby Government the people of the southeast have been rewarded with deteriorating public housing, public hospitals, and public transport systems.
“Brumby’s Government has promised 5,000 new public houses in Victoria over the next two years, but as there are nearly 38,000 families waiting for public housing this will do little to stem the flow of disenfranchised Victorians
“The Brumby Government cannot hide behind the Global Financial Crisis, these issues were on the rise well before the crisis and will continue to spiral out of control as long as the Brumby Government stands by idly spitting into the wind when it comes to public infrastructure development,” said Mr Rich-Phillips.
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