Only 13 out of 26 homes promised in the Macedon Ranges as part of the state government’s Big Housing Build have been built.
The four-year program launched in 2020, was set to build more than 12,000 new homes to be built across the state, with at least 8700 of those earmarked for social housing.
The Macedon Ranges was identified as one of 21 priority areas in Victoria, with a minimum investment of $30 million in the Macedon Ranges, according to a media release from Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas in 2020.
However, recent parliamentary questioning by Northern Victoria Liberal MP Wendy Lovell to Housing Minister Harriet Shing revealed that the project had stalled, with only 13 homes complete.
“One year ago, I slammed Labor for investing less than half of the $30 million it promised for social housing in Macedon Ranges,” Ms Lovell said.
“The minister has now confirmed that she has not made any progress in the last 12 months and there has been no further investment, and no new housing projects started.”
Speaking in parliament, Ms Shing confirmed that $12.5 million had been invested of the $30 million.
She also confirmed that the remainder of the investment “will be done over the next 12 months” – but provided no detail on what projects are under consideration, or how many homes are planned to be built.
A government spokesperson said about $13.5 million has been invested in the Macedon Ranges through the Big Housing Build and other social housing programs.
The spokesperson said the government was continuing to work closely with local governments and other community agencies to unlock land and develop partnerships to deliver more and better homes for Victorians.
It is also working to identify other suitable locations to ensure more much-needed homes are delivered across the shire as part of delivering on the Minimum Investment Guarantee.
Ms Lovell said the data on the Big Housing Build website has been hidden to no longer show the minimum guaranteed investment, total number of homes to be built or underway, and what is completed for each municipality.
It also no longer shows any existing or planned housing projects for the Macedon Ranges.
