Victoria’s Housing Statement – The Decade Ahead 2024-2034 lays out a plan to deliver 800,000 new homes for Victoria over the next decade.

It recognises housing is one of the biggest challenges faced in Australia, with affordability in Australia crashed to its lowest in 30 years.

It estimates the state’s population is set to hit 10.3 million by 2051, which will require 2.24 million new homes in that time.

Key proposals of the statement around planning, permits, renting, social housing and short stay accommodation include:

• Clear the backlog of 1,400 housing permit applications that have been stuck with councils for more than six months
• Expand Victoria’s Development Facilitation Program to streamline the planning process for medium to high density residential developments that meet the set criteria: construction costs worth at least $50 million in Melbourne or $15 million in regional Victoria, and delivering at least 10 per cent affordable housing
• Single dwellings on lots bigger than 300 square metres, and not covered by an overlay, will no longer require a planning permit. Single dwellings on lots smaller than 300 square metres, where an overlay doesn’t exist, will be ticked off within 10 days
• Dwelling garden units/granny flats won’t require a planning permit if they’re less than 60 square metres
• Consider opportunities to facilitate the conversion of offices identified by the Property Council of Australia (PCA) and the City of Melbourne into around 10,000-12,000 apartments and mixed-use properties
• Establish an Institutional Investment Framework to enable institutional investors to invest in long-term, stable rental properties and build-to-sell developments
• Boost the Victorian Homebuyer Fund to support around 3,000 more Victorians into a home through a shared equity model
• Unlock and rezone surplus government land to deliver around 9,000 homes across 45 sites in both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria
• Introduce a Short Stay Levy set at 7.5 per cent of the short stay accommodation platforms’ revenue
• While rent freezes or caps will not be introduced, all types of rental bidding will be banned and tenants will not be able to hike rents 12 months after a tenant has been evicted
• A new body called Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria will be formed for renters, agents and landlords to resolve tenancy disputes over rent, damages, repairs and bonds
• Extend notice of rent increase and notice to vacate periods to 90 days
• Deliver a Rental Stress Support Package
• Launch an urban renewal project to redevelop all of Melbourne’s 44 ageing high rise public housing estates by 2051.

The full recommendations are available via Victoria’s Housing Statement.

Victorian Chamber advocacy

The Victorian Chamber is dedicated to providing solutions to housing shortages, which not only impact individuals’ quality of life but have wider social and economic implications for regional and metropolitan Victoria.

The housing availability shortage is also increasingly problematic for employers. This is especially apparent in regional areas, as lack of suitable housing has made it more difficult to attract employees.

The Chamber has been leading a Housing Taskforce aimed at developing business-led recommendations that grow the competitiveness of Victoria’s economy and productivity by improving housing affordability and stock.

Feedback from the Housing Taskforce will inform a full report with recommendations in late October 2023 to be presented to Government.