On Tuesday May 3, the Victorian Government will table their Budget for the upcoming financial year in Parliament.
Budgets might not sound like the most exciting thing, but this is how Governments tell us what they think is most important to be spending money on, and therefore, what the priorities are going to be for them in the coming year.
The Big Housing Build announcement in 2020 included commitments to release a 10 Year Social and Affordable Housing Strategy and also undertake an Independent Regulatory Review of Social Housing. Both processes are due to finish soon, and both involve significant policy development to shape the future of public housing specifically, and social housing more generally.
We expect to see strong growth plans to ensure we have enough safe and affordable public housing homes for every Victorian who needs one, and structural improvements to the sector to lift the conditions in community housing so that those residents can enjoy the same rights and protections as those who live in public housing.
But we know that we need more than just new properties to improve public housing, so with that in mind, in our Budget Submission we asked the Government to:
- Take action on issues with maintenance, especially maintenance contractors.
- Install solar panels on some public housing dwellings to allow tenants to access cheaper electricity bills.
- Investigate existing trials aimed at increasing digital access for people who live in public housing.
- Make sure organisations which provide tenancy supports are sufficiently funded, so that staff and services and grow to meet demand.
You can read the whole Budget Submission here.