Viv Markham, Tarrangower Times

There’s a serious problem in the community at the moment, and that problem is housing.

The lucky ones are those who live comfortably in affordable social housing or in a home where the mortgage is either paid off or manageable.

Those less lucky own a house but have a mortgage. Through increasing interest rates, they have been facing hefty increases in loan repayments.

Further down the line are the renters, who must deal with sky-high rents, and the fact that rental properties are as scarce as hen’s teeth.

Those even further down on their luck are camping out in tents, caravans and cars – out in the bush and on the outskirts of our towns. Once, these people had a roof over their heads, but not any longer. As they’re not renting, they can’t provide rental references. A real estate agent will therefore put their application aside and choose a potential tenant who has a stable rent record. This Catch-22 situation makes it difficult for those who are homeless to break back into the rental market.

The solution to the problem of helping out renters and those without a home seems to be simple: build more social and affordable housing. And build it quickly.

So why isn’t it being done? And what is being done to help those doing it tough?

Housing facts

From 1945 to 1955, there were 100,000 public rental dwellings built across Australia. The so-called commission homes built in the 1950s were fairly basic, but they provided stable and affordable accommodation for working-class families. Not a bad effort from the Federal and State governments of the day.

In the 1960s and 1970s, more public housing stock was added, some of it in the form of high-rise tower blocks in the capital cities. 

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the building of public housing was not high on the political agenda. In fact, the number of public housing dwellings in Australia actually decreased from 341,400 in 2006 to 297,600 in 2022.

It has been estimated that 700,000 new public rental dwellings will be needed for homeless and low-income Australians by the mid-2030s.  That’s right, 700,000!

Little progress so far

So, how are we going, in terms of providing low-cost public housing? The short answer is: promises, but not a lot of bricks and mortar to date.   

The State Government’s so-called Big Housing Build announced in 2020 an investment of $5.3 billion to build more social housing. The goal has been to build 12,000 homes by 2024. Not exactly a Big Build, but it’s a start.  

The Federal Government recently announced a new $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator to fund the building of more public housing across Australia. The legislation to get the $10 billion Housing Future Fund up and running – which promises to build 30,000 new public rental homes in its first five years – is currently bogged down in the Senate. 

But here’s the big promise: the National Housing Accord is the Federal Government’s ambitious target of building one million homes over five years from 2024. 

Doing it tough

The Maldon Neighbourhood Centre Coordinator John Bainbridge told the [Tarrangower] Times that he sees people who are experiencing financial difficulties once or twice a week. “It’s not just homeless people,” he said. “There are people who, after they’ve paid their rent or mortgage, are struggling.”

Services provided for residents by the Neighbourhood Centre include the community bus, which takes passengers to Maryborough or Kangaroo Flat where they can shop, use the laundromat, visit Centrelink and do some of the things they’re not able to do in Maldon. 

Then there’s the Wednesday community lunch, where diners can pay by donation – or choose not to if they can’t afford it. Any unused food is put out after the lunch so that those in need can take some away with them.

“We also provide free masks, rapid antigen tests and warm coats,” John said.  “And of course, we have open house where anyone can drop in for a cup of coffee. But people are very proud – it’s difficult for them to say that they need help.”  

Charitable organisations such as Vinnie’s and the Salvos are also active in the area – dropping off food, bedding and tents as required.  

A moral responsibility

Maldon Fire Brigade Captain Sean McCubbin believes that he has a moral responsibility to speak out about the transient population camped out near the tip, the Rock of Ages and on the Mount. “In this weather, they’re really doing it tough,” he said.  “As a CFA volunteer, I have a duty to protect life and property, so I feel I need to speak out about this. There are kids living in tents. That’s just not fair. Rents are unrealistic and people are being priced out of the towns they used to rent a home. As a society, we all have to stand up and ask for some action.”

A short term solution, according to Sean, would be for the near-empty Council-owned Maldon caravan park to be opened up to provide accommodation. He believes that all three levels of government should get involved and work together. “And why not spend money on caravans for people to live in?” he asked.  “In a place where they can have a hot shower and have access to electricity?”

If there are still people camping out in the bush when the weather is warmer and vegetation dries out, Sean foresees potential problems with fires. “The campers would have to observe all the usual regulations,” he said, “and that includes having enough water on hand in case a fire needs to be extinguished.  That could be a problem.”                

No magic fix

Bendigo West MP said that there was no magic fix to the housing crisis. “It is concerning that there appears to be an increasing number of people without a roof over their heads, not just in Maldon but across the Shire and indeed in Bendigo as well,” she said. “There is a combination of factors that may be driving this – interest rate rises, the shortage of housing stock and the increasing cost of rentals. This is happening across the whole nation and indeed is a global issue.”  

Ms Edwards pointed out that with all levels of Government working together, as well as with the private housing sector, there are some innovative solutions being considered.  

She is hopeful that some of the Big Housing Build funding will be allocated to Mount Alexander Shire. “It’s not going to solve the crisis, but building homes is one of the ways to make a difference,” she said.  

Ms Edwards is keen to keep working with local groups, such as My Home Network, to realise some of the innovative and community-driven ways that can help people into permanent housing.

“I’ve had some very positive conversations with local people who are looking at ways of increasing the housing stock in Maldon and the Shire,” she said.

“These people are passionate about supporting their community and the suggestions and plans they have will make a difference to many people seeking affordable rental and housing. I’m very grateful that they can see that this is not a crisis that any one level of Government can solve on their own.”

Stop press

Following Tuesday’s announcement of the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games, Premier Daniel Andrews has promised $1 billion to build social housing in the regions.

It is to be hoped that some of this money will be used to fund housing in some of the smaller towns – not only in the major centres such as Bendigo, Ballarat and Shepparton. This will enable residents to remain in those smaller communities.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 21 July 2023.