State housing crisis stressing regional communities

By Contributed

Feb 7, 2025

State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said the growing housing crisis in Victoria is putting stress on regional communities. Photo by Contributed

State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said the housing crisis is putting additional pressure on regional Victorians.

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According to the state government, new data shows 61,260 new homes were completed in Victoria in the past year.

Ms Cleeland said that’s in contrast to the state government’s proposed plan to build 80,000 annually from 2024 to 2034.

“This means 18,674 homes that should have been built simply don’t exist - further worsening the affordability crisis in our regional towns,” Ms Cleeland said.

Ms Cleeland said delays in regional housing developments, such as that in Benalla West, are stressing rural communities.

“Instead of increasing housing supply, we’re seeing stalled projects, budget overruns, and existing residents forced out of their homes without suitable alternatives,” Ms Cleeland said.

According to online real estate site, Real Estate Investar, vacancy rates in regional areas sit below rates across the state as a whole.

Vacancy rates across Victoria sit at 0.93 per cent, according to the website, while vacancies in Benalla are at 0.65 per cent, and in Greater Shepparton the rate is 0.68 per cent.

Ms Cleeland said this emphasised the difficulty some communities have in accessing rental housing.

“Local vacancy rates are showing just how difficult it is to find suitable homes in our regional towns,” Ms Cleeland said.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to access an affordable home in Victoria.”