Published on Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Public housing tenants must have right to return to their homes after redevelopment
People living in Melbourne’s public housing towers must have an enforceable right to return to them as public tenants after they demolished and redeveloped, Inner Melbourne Community Legal will tell a Parliamentary inquiry today.
Hundreds of families will be forced to relocate from the inner city while the towers are being redeveloped by Homes Victoria, but after that they should be able to return as public housing tenants, IMCL will tell the inquiry by the Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee.
This must include no change in their rent-setting arrangements and continuation of public housing policy and procedures.
The Managing Lawyer for Tenancy and Housing at IMCL, Louisa Bassini, said the residents’ rights had been treated as an after-thought by Homes Victoria since the plan to demolish and redevelop all 44 Melbourne public housing towers was announced in September 2023.
Ms Bassini will appear at the inquiry at the Djerring Flemington Hub at 10 am along with Stephanie Price from the Social Housing Legal Program.
“There has been history of poor consultation with residents and transparency about the future of public housing in the inner city, going right back to the 2021 housing towers lockdowns,” Ms Bassini said.
“Homes Victoria seems to have no problem rushing ahead with building works, but when it comes to guaranteeing renters’ rights they are nowhere to be seen.
“Public housing is owned and managed by the government and provides proper safeguards for people and families who are doing it tough and with complex needs.
“Homes Victoria continues to deny any certainty to residents about their right to return to the estates or to provide any protection of their rights if they are forced to become community housing residents.
“That is not good enough.”
Last week, IMCL lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court on behalf of public housing tenants against the dismissal earlier this year of their class action opposing the demolition.
In addition to guaranteeing renters’ rights, Ms Bassini said the State Government must demonstrate it has a plan to reduce housing waiting lists to zero including increasing public housing stock as part of its redevelopment of Melbourne’s high-rise towers.
In its submission to the inquiry, IMCL warned that current government plans for 10% uplift in social housing are “manifestly inadequate” and do not guarantee that public housing will not be lost.
IMCL says the government must invest in and grow public housing stock , and there should be no reduction of public housing on the renewal sites as a result of the redevelopment.
“There is a real danger that in the midst of a housing crisis, Victoria could end up with less public housing for the state’s most disadvantaged people than it started with,” Ms Bassini said.
“The plan to redevelop the public housing tower estates will displace thousands of people, putting more pressure on rents and the Victorian Housing Register waitlist. An increase of 440 social homes over 28 years is not enough.”
“The length of tenant waiting lists shows there is already an under-supply of public housing in Victoria.
“Our concern is to prevent this being replaced with privately-owned and community housing, which will have the effect of eroding rental standards for social housing residents.
“The government must ensure that substantial and increased public housing is maintained in Melbourne’s inner city so that residents can access essential services including transport, healthcare, and education.”
ENDS
Media contact:
Mark Phillips - p: 0455 203 258; e: media@imcl.org.au