2026-10-20
The Victorian Greens have renewed calls for Labor to force property developers to build more public, community and affordable housing, after former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio urged Melbourne to introduce mandatory affordable housing targets of 25 per cent in new developments ahead of today’s Melbourne Assembly.
In February, the Greens secured historic changes to Victoria’s planning laws, giving councils and the Planning Minister the power to require property developers to contribute public, community and affordable homes as a condition of approval.
The Greens say that the legal powers to mandate public, community and affordable housing in new developers exists, thanks to laws secured by the Greens, but Labor so far has refused to use them.
The Greens say that mandatory affordable housing must also come with a legislated definition of affordable housing that is tied to household incomes, and not just a tiny discount on various definitions of the “market rate”. The lack of definition has resulted in much of the so-called “affordable” housing in Victoria being even more expensive than regular private rentals.
The Greens’ calls come as the federal government announces a $350 million housing bonus for Victoria and foreshadows further measures to support first-home buyers.
The Greens say that if Labor wants to support first-home buyers they should back in the Greens election housing plan to tie rents to wages, abolish stamp duty for owner-occupiers on homes up to $1.1 million and reduce it on a sliding scale up to $1.6 million and build public housing, not demolish it.
Quotes attributable to the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“Even the former Mayor of New York is telling us we need more genuinely affordable homes in Melbourne, but Labor’s strategy to date has been to demolish public housing and refuse to use their powers to require private developers to build affordable housing.
“They did it in New York - why won’t Labor do it in Victoria?”
“The Greens recently succeeded in changing the laws in Victoria to allow the Government to require developers build a percentage of affordable homes in new developments - Labor must now use these powers”
Quotes attributable to the Victorian Greens housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:
“If young people and renters are ever going to be able to afford a home, we need to bring down the cost of buying a home and make sure we’re building the genuinely affordable homes we need.
“If Labor is serious about helping first-home buyers, they’d back the Greens' plan to build public housing, freeze and cap rents so people can actually save for a deposit and scrap the massive upfront tax bill people face before they even get the keys.”