Tuesday, 20 June 2023

Port Melbourne public housing

Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:13): (178) My question is for the Attorney-General. Attorney, despite a growing chorus of voices opposing your government’s plans to privatise the Barak Beacon public housing estate in Port Melbourne, your government is doubling down and since we were last in this chamber has begun eviction proceedings against residents, including taking one to VCAT this Thursday. Residents like Margaret Kelly are not just advocating for themselves, they are standing up for the thousands of public housing residents who do not want public housing to be privatised. I note Victoria’s model litigation guidelines state that government agencies should:

consider seeking to avoid and limit the scope of legal proceedings by taking such steps, if any, as are reasonable having regard to the nature of the dispute, to resolve the dispute by agreement, including participating in appropriate dispute resolution … processes or settlement negotiations …

Attorney, why has the government via Homes Victoria breached its own model litigant guidelines in respect to eviction proceedings against public housing tenants like Margaret?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:14): Dr Ratnam, this is not a question that is appropriate to be addressed to the Attorney-General. I do not enforce the model litigant guidelines in relation to departments. It is the expectation that they abide by them. I am not in a position to give you a view one way or the other. This is a matter that is squarely a matter for the Minister for Housing.

Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:14): Thank you, Attorney. To follow up, we have now learned about the true costs of the privatisation of Barak Beacon. The home Margaret is being evicted from and the three other sites will amount to over $500 million being handed over to private developers. With more public housing sites earmarked for demolition and privatisation, how will you ensure that public housing residents are treated fairly and appropriately according to the government’s own guidelines?

The PRESIDENT: Ms Ratnam, that does not fall within the responsibility of the Attorney-General as far as the executive goes. The minister can answer as she sees fit. If she says it is not her responsibility, that is an answer.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:15): That was less for me than the substantive.