2026-10-23
The Victorian Greens say Labor's latest housing announcement fails to address the biggest barrier facing young Victorians trying to buy their first home - the skyrocketing cost of housing.
Under Victorian Labor's plan announced today, $1 billion in state public funding and government-owned land will be used to deliver more than 25,000 homes that will ultimately be sold at market prices.
The Greens say Labor should be using public land and public money to bring down the cost of buying a home and deliver genuinely affordable public housing, rather than prioritising expensive private developments.
The announcement comes as Labor pushes ahead with its plan to demolish all 44 of Melbourne's public housing towers, displacing thousands of residents and handing valuable public housing land over for private development.
Quotes attributable to the Victorian Greens housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:
“Spending $1 billion in public money and land should be an opportunity for us to build genuinely affordable public homes and homes that young people and first home buyers can actually afford, not for them to have to bid against each other on homes already inflated and distorted by a broken housing market.”
“Selling these homes at market rate fails to tackle the biggest barrier first home buyers are facing and that’s the cost. After 12 years in power, Labor’s housing plan consists of demolishing and privatising public housing, handing over public land for private development, and more tax breaks for property investors.”
“Labor’s refusing to reduce the cost of buying a home for first home buyers even when the opportunity is sitting there on a platter. If Labor really wants to help young people and first home buyers, they should look at the Greens plan to cut stamp duty, freeze and cap rents and double the number of public homes to actually bring down the cost for people.”