Housing Minister “stonewalls” public housing transparency probe

Victoria’s Housing Minister, Harriet Shing, has defended the government’s redevelopment of 44 public housing towers, despite growing criticism of its opaque approach.

At a parliamentary inquiry hearing on Wednesday, August 6, the Minister was questioned about whether the government had been transparent throughout the redevelopment process.

Minister Shing said the towers had exceeded their lifespan and that the redevelopment program was a multi-decade process requiring immediate action.

If we don’t act now, then we won’t have plans in place to replace these towers with homes that are bright, beautiful, modern, and energy-efficient – homes that people in our social housing system deserve, she said.

However, the government has faced increasing criticism for its failure to release documents detailing its redevelopment plans. At the inquiry, Minister Shing was unable to confirm whether those documents would be released.

In February, as part of a class action on behalf of 479 public housing households, Inner Melbourne Community Legal sought to obtain cabinet documents that could explain the government’s decision to demolish all 44 towers.

The Supreme Court ruled that the documents were immune from disclosure and could not be used in the class action. To date, only 12 of the 158 documents outlining the government’s plan have been released.

Several architects, advocacy groups, and tenants have argued that retrofitting the towers would be more cost-effective and less disruptive for residents than the knock-down and rebuild approach currently being pursued.

A recent study by Nigel Bertram – an architect in practice and Professor of Architecture at Monash University – found that retrofitting could lead to up to 30 per cent savings in capital costs, a reduction in embodied carbon emissions, and a significantly shorter construction timeframe.

Despite this, the government has remained steadfast in its defence of the approach.

Minister Shing was further questioned at the inquiry about the government’s transparency but gave a vague response, leaving opposition MPs frustrated.

“Let me be as transparent, as fair and as clear as I can possibly be – the 44 towers have exceeded their operational life,” Minister Shing said.

Greens MP Anasina Gray-Barberio accused the Housing Minister of stonewalling the committee and avoiding genuine questions from its members.

At an inquiry hearing the day before, former Victorian Supreme Court judge Kevin Bell said he would escalate his complaint about the government’s approach to the United Nations.

“[The Victorian Government] has acted as if it were just the landlord of public housing tenants in property over which it has the full power of ownership and which it can redevelop as it sees fit,” he said.

“It may have acted as a democratically elected government can, but it has treated the residents of the towers in a way that … is an insult to their human dignity and in violation of their international human rights.” •