New data shows Victoria remains in last place for the percentage of social housing it provides to people in need, prompting the state’s community housing peak body to call for urgent government action to address the shortfall.
Despite a modest increase on last year’s numbers, public and community housing residents make up just 2.95 per cent of Victoria’s households, according to the Productivity Commission’s latest Report on Government Services.
This is the lowest proportion of social housing of any state or territory, and well below the national average of 4.04 per cent.
Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIA Vic) Acting CEO Jason Perdriau said the Victorian Government needed to provide a long-term pipeline of funding to ensure the 55,000 households on Victoria’s social housing waiting list could one day get a roof over their head.
“Every year, Victoria is on the bottom rung of the social housing rankings. Consistently not having enough social housing to meet demand pushes more and more Victorians into housing stress and homelessness,” Mr Perdriau said.
“If we don’t change our approach, the proportion of social homes is set to decline over the next decade due to our booming population. We urgently need a plan to build 80,000 social homes over the next 10 years to take Victoria’s percentage of social housing up to at least 4.5 per cent.
“Government can help set up this long-term pipeline by including social and affordable housing targets in its overall housing targets. It can also require that social and affordable housing be built on surplus government land and in high-growth areas like Activity Centres and around Suburban Rail Loop stations.
“We can’t leave this up to chance. It’s only through initiatives like these, as well as long-term funding certainty, that we can make sure our cities and suburbs provide genuinely affordable homes for all Victorians who need them.”
Mr Perdriau said the recent data showed community housing made up 97 per cent of social housing growth over the past year, with the sector growing by 1,731 homes.
“This growth has been made possible through government investment and partnership,” Mr Perdriau said.
“It shows the community housing sector can deliver the social housing Victoria needs, but we need further investment and a long-term plan to address the ongoing housing crisis and build a fairer housing system.”
2026 Report on Government Services data
|
State/territory |
Social housing proportion |
|
NT |
13.82% |
|
ACT |
6.24% |
|
Tasmania |
6.20% |
|
SA |
5.73% |
|
NSW |
4.48% |
|
WA |
3.76% |
|
Queensland |
3.48% |
|
Victoria |
2.95% |
|
Australia |
4.04% |
Source: Productivity Commission; ABS
Contact details:
Emma Miller 0401 642 535