State Budget

State Budget

People face significant challenges if they don’t have safe, secure, affordable housing. They can’t hold a job, study, train, eat healthily, exercise, treat medical conditions or safely leave an abusive relationship; they are also more likely to face the criminal justice system. I welcome the strong focus on housing in the Minns’ Labor government’s second budget.

The government will build 6,200 new and rebuild 2,200 dilapidated public housing homes over the next four years. While we need to build 5,000 every year for the next 10 years just to provide for those already on the waiting list, it is a great start following years of public housing selloffs to fund maintenance. The new budget has additional funding for social housing repairs and maintenance after I took the housing minister around a number of inner city estates to demonstrate the work needed.

Essential workers keep the city functioning but most can’t afford to live here. $450 million will be used to build housing for them, complementing the work I am doing through my inquiry to establish an essential worker definition and develop policies on how to house them close to their jobs.

There is funding for homelessness services and the domestic, family and violence sector, including prevention programs. Domestic and family violence remains the leading cause of homelessness for women.

I secured grants for local charities working in the homelessness space including the Wayside Chapel, Rough Edges, St Canices and the Haymarket Foundation as well as four-year funding for the Gender Centre to continue supporting the trans and gender diverse community and their families. There is $2.6m to transform half of the Moore Park golf course into a public parkland and funding to further develop plans for the eastern part of the Oxford Street cycleway.

I will continue to assess the detail.

Let's work together to celebrate and protect our great city!

 

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