2026-07-16
The Victorian Greens have renewed calls to legislate a clear definition of affordable housing ahead of tonight’s Four Corners investigation.
The Greens have long campaigned for a clear definition of affordable housing saying that the Labor’s so-called “affordable housing” system is broken and riddled with loopholes.
Across Victoria, developers and housing providers are delivering so-called affordable housing through a range of different housing schemes, using different definitions of affordability and different methods of setting rents.
In many cases, rents are not linked to what people actually earn, but instead to varying definitions of “market rent”.
The ABC’s Four Corners investigation found affordable housing listings in Victoria that were actually being advertised above median market rates.
In 2024, a parliamentary inquiry secured by the Greens recommended that the Victorian Government legislate a clear and consistent definition of affordable housing. But nearly two years later, Labor has not implemented the recommendation.
The Greens say that the lack of a clear definition has created loopholes that allow private developers and housing providers to access government grants, taxpayer subsidies and public land while continuing to charge rents that many Victorians cannot afford.
Quotes attributable to the Victorian Greens housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:
“It’s clear so-called “affordable” housing isn’t actually affordable.
“So-called affordable housing has become a catch-all label and while it sounds good in a press release, it’s not actually delivering homes that people can afford in real terms.
“Labor’s allowed developers and housing companies to tap into government funding and public land to provide these homes under the guise of affordability but then they’re charging above average rent. It’s outrageous.
“We need a clear definition of affordability that applies across the board and it needs to be tied to people’s incomes. But most of all we need the government to get back to actually building, owning and operating public homes like they used to.
“Labor governments can’t keep hoping that private property developers that are driven by are going to solve the housing crisis. The best way to build the genuinely affordable homes we need, is to build more public housing.”