Per Capita joins many others in questioning the lack of transparency around the costs associated with retrofit or knock-down and rebuild of public housing towers in Melbourne. We also question the rationale that underpins the decision-making process. We question the following three rationales:
1. That decisions around public housing redevelopment should be driven by financial viability and private-sector profitability
2. That knockdown-rebuild is the only viable option on public housing sites
3. That substantial increases in market housing is the only way to ‘save’ public housing and ensure social mix
Our Recommendations:
- Commit to providing the necessary government funds to support a large-scale increase in public housing. Acknowledge it is an investment with a clear benefit to Victorians.
- Work with local communities, local councils, architects and sustainability experts to conduct site-level assessments about the relative costs and benefits of knockdown versus retrofit.
- Make a transparent audit of building conditions available for public review, including any analysis conducted when deciding between retrofit or rebuild approaches.
- Commit to a 50% uplift in social housing residents (not dwellings) housed through this process. That equates appropriately to 15,000 residents, 5,000 more than are currently housed in the 44 towers.
- Commit to ‘tenure blind’ development that offers the same amenity to residents, regardless of their tenure or landlord
- Consider current residents’ circumstances when determining the composition of dwelling types and sizes to ensure existing tenants can meaningfully exercise the ‘right of return’ they have been promised.
- Announce and pursue targets based on the number of people housed in addition to the number of new dwellings built. This will ensure that large units being replaced with smaller units doesn’t result in a net reduction in the number of people housed through the PHRP.
