BY NATALIE GALLENTI
THE issue of public housing, and the lack of it, has once again reared its head in Brimbank after figures revealed the waiting list in Keilor increased in the last quarter.
Keilor MP Natalie Hutchins slammed the State Government last week, claiming in the past year it had done nothing to support residents across Melbourne’s North West who required urgent housing.
“The number of people waiting for housing in Keilor rose over the last three months by 0.5 per cent,” Ms Hutchins said.
“This means there are now 19 more people waiting for housing now than three months ago.”
She also claimed the government showed little empathy for families desperately seeking housing and that without an increase in funding, the list would continue to grow.
Ms Hutchins said these latest figures were further proof that the Baillieu Government was failing the most disadvantaged members of the community.
She cited the release of a “do-nothing” homelessness plan that failed to set out any plans for assisting young people experiencing homelessness, women and children escaping domestic violence, or people currently living in crisis accommodation, the failure to provide any new funding for building or acquiring public and social housing in this year’s budget and a “blow out” in the waiting times faced by families on the early housing waiting list.
This was all additional evidence that residents would continue to wait longer for essential accommodation.
