2017-11-17
The Greens have forced a rethink of the government's plan to privatise public housing estates, supporting the revocation of a planning scheme amendment which would initiate the first sell-off of publicly owned land.
Greens housing spokesperson Ellen Sandell said the Greens won't support privatising publicly owned estates while the increases to public housing are so minimal.
"The Greens are committed fixing our rundown public housing and building significantly more public dwellings. We have said repeatedly that the Labor government's plan to sell off public land to private developers does not provide enough additional public housing, and only benefits property developers at the expensive of public housing tenants and our community," she said.
"The government has refused to discuss this proposal with us and we have serious concerns about their plan to sell off public estates to private developers. It's time the government comes to the table to discuss a way forward to significantly increase public housing and address the 35,000-long waiting list."
“This revocation does not stop the public housing renewal program. The government can still rebuild public housing on this site, and we are committed to work with them to develop a plan that will significantly increase the volume of public housing to address the 35,000-long waiting list," she said.
Southern metro upper house MP Sue Pennicuik said the Greens have raised concerns about plans for the Markham Estate site for the past year.
"The proposal is a pilot of the government’s Public Housing Renewal Program, which aims to sell off around 75% of the public land on nine public housing estates for private development with little, if any, increase in public housing," Sue Pennicuik said.
"The Greens believe that the City of Boroondara should be the planning authority for the Markham Estate and that the Government should significantly increase public housing, not sell off this land for private development," she said.