Shadow Minister hears local construction and housing challenges

Shadow Minister for Home Ownership and Housing A ordability, Jess Wilson, has visited Central Victoria to discuss the hurdles being placed in front of housing development and construction, leading to increasing a ordability concerns across the regional market.

e Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, organised a roundtable event with local builders, developers, real estate agents and local business gures.

Ms Cleeland said the event was a crucial step in providing a strong regional perspective on the issues facing the housing industry.

“Too o en we see policies in the construction and housing sector developed without any nuance or understanding of the di culties facing regional communities,” Ms Cleeland said.

“While the Andrews Government makes dictates from the city, the Liberals and Nationals are always committed to getting out on the ground and hearing locals’ concerns rsthand.

“We have serious housing supply challenges locally with widespread ooding exacerbating the problem and displacing some of our region’s most vulnerable citizens.

“ e failures in our system are hurting people in our own community, unable to a ord housing in the town they’ve grown up in and love.

“I thank Jess for coming to our region and listening to the concerns of our local housing stakeholders and understanding the challenges in regional housing, development and planning.”

Shadow Minister for Home Ownership and Housing A ordability, Jess Wilson, welcomed the opportunity to meet with individuals and businesses at the coalface of regional housing development.

“Today we heard some common themes and strong agreement on the issues facing the sector,” Ms Wilson said.

“Planning decisions at a local government level are taking an incredibly long time, causing delays and increased costs for home buyers and sti ing economic development.

“It’s clear the planning system isn’t working, and we simply aren’t getting the supply we need to market.

“I’m committed to hearing regional voices on every aspect of home ownership.

“Local views, on the ground expertise and ideas around potential solutions will feature strongly in