By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
The waiting list of families seeking public housing in Geelong has blown out under the Andrews Labor Government, according to South Barwon MP Andrew Katos.
Mr Katos said 50 more people were waiting for housing compared to March this year.
He accused the State Government of “silently” posting online the quarterly figures because they “showed a disturbing trend”.
The September quarter waiting list for Geelong was 1880, up 46 from the June quarter. The state-wide waiting list was 34,726.
Mr Katos said he was concerned that the public housing waiting list would blow out again the same as when it reached around 41,000 under the previous Labor government.
“History is repeating itself under the Andrews Labor Government,” Mr Katos said.
“The public waiting list had been steadily decreasing under the coalition but it’s taken just six months for Labor to undo everything that had been achieved.
“Despite Daniel Andrews’s promise to reduce the waiting list for public housing, it has now blown out with over 50 people added in the Barwon region in the last six months alone.”
Mr Katos said the State Government budget forecast a net loss in public housing, forcing more people onto the waiting list.
“With a budget now in deficit it is hard to see how Daniel Andrews will be able to afford to reverse this concerning trend,” Mr Katos said.
“Daniel Andrews should explain to local families and children waiting for public housing why they will wait even longer now for a home.”
But Minister for Housing Martin Foley said the most important measure of the list was how long people in need spent waiting for housing.
He said average wait times for those most in need blew out 54 per cent under the former coalition government.
“The Liberals neglected public housing for four years as $470 million was ripped out of the Victorian system, which has inevitably had an impact on the waiting list,” Mr Foley said.
“Liberals don’t care about our most disadvantaged, it’s why they cut funding to housing.
“In their last year of government, the Liberals not only failed to build more public and social housing, they robbed 327 Victorian households of the chance for a home by getting rid of 327 homes.
“It will take some time to fix the damage inflicted by the former Liberal Government but we are committed to working with the sector to do this.
“That’s why the Andrews Labor Government has invested $180 million in new housing development, increased the Housing Assistance budget by 5.5 per cent and invested $40 million in Homelessness Innovation Action Projects – all in our first budget.”
