Daniel Andrews defends government’s social housing commitment

Premier Daniel Andrews has clashed with Greens MP Sam Hibbins in a heated exchange over social housing.

An under siege Daniel Andrews has angrily refuted criticism of his government’s commitment to social housing.

In a fiery exchange after more than two hours before the parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, the Premier clashed with Greens MP Sam Hibbins over his social housing record.

It came after Mr Hibbins questioned the government’s decision earlier this year to scrap its $800m social housing tax that would have funded up to 1,700 new social homes each year.

The government backflip came less than two weeks after the tax was announced and would have also included key reforms to fast-track building and planning approvals.

Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Sam Hibbins. Picture: Norm Oorloff

But the property and construction industry slammed the proposed 1.75 per cent social housing levy, which was set to add an extra $20,000 on the median price of a new house.

After Mr Andrews took the opportunity to spruik the government’s Big Housing Build initiative, the biggest public housing project in Australia’s history, Mr Hibbins said it wasn’t enough.

“It’s as if it’s the sole responsibility of this government today to have a plan to solve any and all and every problem that might come up in 20 years time,” Mr Andrews said.

“Just like you I’m interested in this, but I’m getting on and doing what I can do now, which just happens to be more than anyone’s ever done before.”

Mr Hibbins took objection after the Premier told him to look at this year’s budget.

“Trust me, I spend plenty of time at public housing, I’ve seen the commitment over very many years, I’ll tell you what, the Big Housing Build could not have come any later,” Mr Hibbins said.

“Let’s not pat ourselves on the back too much. It’s been an absolutely appalling situation for decades.

“I think it’s fantastic that you’ve invested more, but let’s not overegg it.”

Mr Andrews fired back: “please don’t put it to me that you’re the only one who’s ever been anywhere near public housing.”

“Because I’ve been spending my time not just visiting and talking to people, but getting on and building it.

“Because you can’t live under your words, right, you can only live under roofs provided invariably by Labour governments.

“And that’s the fact of it and if you don’t like that well that’s on you.”

The heated exchange came at the end of more than two hours of questioning by the parliamentary committee over the government’s budget estimates.

State opposition MPs accused the Premier of cutting health funding, and was again forced to explain an unfilled Covid-19 promise of 4000 extra intensive care beds.

He was also grilled over the state’s triple-0 crisis that opposition MP James Newbury said had been responsible for 17 deaths between October and March.

Mr Andrews blamed pandemic funding for a $2 billion decrease to health in the budget papers.

“Would you like us to keep spending on vaccines, would you like us to keep spending on testing cycles, would you like us to keep buying RATs (rapid antigen tests) at levels that are no longer appropriate,” he said.

“(The) suggestion is completely and utterly wrong.”