Victorian Minister for Housing
Encyclopedia
In the Victorian
political system, the State Minister for Housing is a State Government
cabinet
position responsible for Housing. The Minister for Housing is responsible for the Office of Housing (formerly the Victorian Housing Commission
); and is one of four state ministers responsible for the Department of Human Services (DHS).
The Housing Commission of Victoria
was established in 1938.. Its stated purpose of improving existing housing and to provide adequate housing for people of limited means (public housing
). The Commission ceased to exist in 1984, as it became the Office of Housing. Housing Commission remains the common colloquial term for public housing
estates and developments in Victoria
, particularly the inner city tower estates built in the late 1950s and 1960's by Liberal
State Governments
.
The Housing Commission towers were planned as a major capital work solution to urban ghettoisation
. These 20 storey towers loom over many of the inner suburbs in Melbourne
, and are usually built in 2-6 tower configurations. Many blocks of occupied terrace
and worker cottage style housing were cleared and towers of 10 apartments a floor built, surrounded by gardens and car parks. The future high property value of the former types of housing and the gentrification
of inner urban areas was not foreseen. Opponents of these projects claimed that the towers were merely turning the slum
s upright. One of the more vocal anti-tower campaigners in the 1960s, Barry Pullen
, later became a Minister for Housing in the Cain
Labor
Government. Crime
and substance abuse
problems on the estates have indeed fluctuated to high levels over the years, as different governments apply policies to renew the residential environments.
The Victorian Minister for Housing was at the centre of the Victorian land scandals of 1973-82.
The Victorian Minister for Housing is also responsible for homelessness
and the Residential Tenancies Act (the laws governing domestic renting in Victoria
). Today the Office of Housing is Victoria
's largest landlord, and is responsible for around 73,000 properties (23,000+ in regional Victorian
towns and rural communities, 7,000+ inner city high-rise flats, 40,000+ houses, units and flats across suburban Melbourne
, 1,700+ rooming house rooms and 1,800 moveable units).
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
political system, the State Minister for Housing is a State Government
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
position responsible for Housing. The Minister for Housing is responsible for the Office of Housing (formerly the Victorian Housing Commission
Housing Commission of Victoria
The Housing Commission of Victoria was a State Government body responsible for public housing in Victoria, Australia...
); and is one of four state ministers responsible for the Department of Human Services (DHS).
The Housing Commission of Victoria
Housing Commission of Victoria
The Housing Commission of Victoria was a State Government body responsible for public housing in Victoria, Australia...
was established in 1938.. Its stated purpose of improving existing housing and to provide adequate housing for people of limited means (public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
). The Commission ceased to exist in 1984, as it became the Office of Housing. Housing Commission remains the common colloquial term for public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
estates and developments in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, particularly the inner city tower estates built in the late 1950s and 1960's by Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
State Governments
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
.
The Housing Commission towers were planned as a major capital work solution to urban ghettoisation
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
. These 20 storey towers loom over many of the inner suburbs in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and are usually built in 2-6 tower configurations. Many blocks of occupied terrace
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
and worker cottage style housing were cleared and towers of 10 apartments a floor built, surrounded by gardens and car parks. The future high property value of the former types of housing and the gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
of inner urban areas was not foreseen. Opponents of these projects claimed that the towers were merely turning the slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s upright. One of the more vocal anti-tower campaigners in the 1960s, Barry Pullen
Barry Pullen
Barry Thomas Pullen is a former Australian politician. He was a Minister in the Cain and Kirner Labor Victorian State Governments, and held the Legislative Council seat of Melbourne in the Victorian Parliament from 1982–1999...
, later became a Minister for Housing in the Cain
John Cain II
John Cain , Australian Labor Party politician, was the 41st Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1982 to 1990.-Biography:...
Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Government. Crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
problems on the estates have indeed fluctuated to high levels over the years, as different governments apply policies to renew the residential environments.
The Victorian Minister for Housing was at the centre of the Victorian land scandals of 1973-82.
The Victorian Minister for Housing is also responsible for homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
and the Residential Tenancies Act (the laws governing domestic renting in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
). Today the Office of Housing is Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's largest landlord, and is responsible for around 73,000 properties (23,000+ in regional Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
towns and rural communities, 7,000+ inner city high-rise flats, 40,000+ houses, units and flats across suburban Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, 1,700+ rooming house rooms and 1,800 moveable units).
Victorian State Ministers for Housing since 1945
- Sir William HaworthWilliam HaworthSir William Crawford Haworth was an Australian politician. Born in Melbourne, he was educated at state schools before attending the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of Pharmacy. He became a pharmaceutical chemist, and served in the military 1940-44...
(Liberal) 1945 - William BarryWilliam Barry (Australian politician)William Peter Barry was a Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Electoral district of Carlton from July 1932 until April 1955...
(Labor) 1945-1946 - John LemmonJohn LemmonEdward John Lemmon was a logician and philosopher born in Sheffield, UK. He is most well known for his work on modal logic, particularly his joint text with Dana Scott published posthumously ....
(Labor) 1946-1947 (Minister for Works and Housing) - Sir Arthur Warner (Liberal Country Party) 1947-1950
- Ivan Swinburne (National Country Party) 1950-1951
- William Dawnay-Mould (Liberal Country Party) 1952
- Thomas Hayes (Labor) 1952-1955
- John Sheehan (Labor) 1955
- Sir Thomas Maltby (Liberal Country Party) 1955
- Sir Horace Petty (Liberal) 1955-1961
- Lindsay ThompsonLindsay ThompsonLindsay Hamilton Simpson Thompson AO, CMG , Australian Liberal Party politician, was the 40th Premier of Victoria from June 1981 to April 1982...
(Liberal) 1961-1967 - Edward Meagher (Liberal) 1967-1972
- Vance Dickie (Liberal) 1972-1976
- Geoffrey Hayes (Liberal) 1976-1979
- Brian DixonBrian DixonBrian Dixon is a former Australian rules footballer and Victorian Politician.Dixon played 252 VFL games for Melbourne between 1954 and 1968, playing mostly on the wing...
(Liberal) 1979-1981 - Jeff KennettJeff KennettJeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
(Liberal) 1981-82 - Ian CathieIan CathieIan Robert Cathie is a former Australian politician.Born in Melbourne to printer George Mitchell Cathie and Sybil Balding, he attended state schools and then the University of Melbourne, where he studied teaching. On 5 January 1957 he married Christine Watson, with whom he had four children; he...
(Labor) 1982-1985 - Frank WilkesFrank WilkesFrank Noel Wilkes AM , Australian politician, was Leader of the Labor Opposition in Victoria from 1977 to 1981. Wilkes was born in Melbourne and educated at Northcote Primary and Secondary Schools and Preston Technical College. During the Second World War he served in the southwest Pacific in the...
(Labor) 1985-1987 - Ronald "Bunna" Walsh (Labor) 1987-1988 (Minister for Housing and Construction)
- Barry PullenBarry PullenBarry Thomas Pullen is a former Australian politician. He was a Minister in the Cain and Kirner Labor Victorian State Governments, and held the Legislative Council seat of Melbourne in the Victorian Parliament from 1982–1999...
(Labor) 1988-1990 (Minister for Housing and Construction) - Anthony (Tony) SheehanTony SheehanAnthony John "Tony" Sheehan is a former Australian politician. He obtained an economics degree at La Trobe University and was a school teacher at Heidleberg High School. He was elected branch secretary of the Victorian Secondary Teachers Association.He was a member of the Victorian Legislative...
(Labor) 1990-1991 (Minister for Housing and Construction) - Andrew McCutcheon (Labor) 1991-1992 (Minister for Planning and Housing)
- Robert Knowles (Liberal) 1992-1996
- Ann HendersonAnn HendersonAnn Henderson was a Scottish sculptor born in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland- Personal Biography :Ann Henderson was born into a farming family at Ormlie, near Thurso. From early childhood her desire to create in three dimensional form was evident. She would delight in collecting clay from the local...
(Liberal) 1996-1999 - Bronwyn PikeBronwyn PikeBronwyn Pike is an Australian politician. She was Minister for Education in Victoria in the Brumby Government, and is the State Member of Parliament for Melbourne.-Early life:...
(Labor) 1999-2002 - Candy BroadCandy BroadCandy Celeste Broad is an Australian politician. She has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council since September 1999, first representing the electorate of Melbourne North Province until 2006, and then as a Member for the Northern Victoria region.After making a...
(Labor) 2002-2006 - Richard WynneRichard WynneHon. Richard William Wynne MLA is an Australian politician and former Minister for Housing, Minister for Local Government and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in the State Cabinet of the Government of Victoria, and has held the Legislative Assembly seat of Richmond in the Victorian Parliament since...
(Labor) 2006-2010 - Wendy LovellWendy LovellWendy Ann Lovell is an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, she was a newsagent before becoming involved in politics. She held numerous posts with the Liberal Party, and was eventually elected to the Victorian Legislative Council as a Liberal member for North Eastern Province in...
(Liberal) 2010-present