Nation Building - Victoria Working with Australian Government

In February 2009 the Australian Government committed $42 billion through its Nation Building - Economic Stimulus Plan to provide critical community infrastructure in social housing, education, transport and the environment.

The Social Housing Initiative provides $5.65 billion to state and territory governments to boost the supply and improve the quality of affordable rental housing for Australians on low to moderate incomes.

$1.167 billion to build new homes, $99.2 million to improve exisiting homes

Victoria's Nation Building allocation of $1.26 billion will deliver about 4,500 new homes and make improvements to 5,600 existing homes. These construction and maintenance works, many of which must be completed in 2010, will also provide a significant boost to jobs and businesses across Victoria.

The new housing has been selected against criteria established by the Australian Government and a set of complementary priorities established by the Victorian Government.

What's happening in Victoria

Record number of new homes delivered

On 6 July 2010 it was announced that Victoria had delivered 746 new affordable rental homes by 30 June 2010.

This exceeds the Australian Government target of 572 homes and marks the completion of the first major milestone for the Nation Building investment in affordable rental housing in Victoria.

The 746 completed homes were valued at $141 million – providing quality homes for Victorians in need, supporting and securing jobs and helping boost the economy.

The Nation Building program in Victoria is estimated to have secured or supported around 2,400 full-time equivalent jobs throughout 2009-10.

Victoria had also started building 3,520 Nation Building homes across the state, surpassing the 3,102 homes that had to be started by 30 June.

Victoria is on track to provide around 4,500 new homes by June 2012, with 2,900 of these homes being delivered by the end of 2010.

Upgrades completed - benefits over 9,100 homes

The $99.2 million Nation Building repairs and maintenance program officially finished on 30 June with works benefiting over 9,100 homes in Victoria.

The upgrades far exceed the target of 5,600 homes and sits alongside the successful completion of 746 new homes by 30 June.

The announcement was made at a renovated rooming house in Church Street, Richmond – the site of one of the largest upgrades in the state, at an investment of $2.6 million.

The Church Street rooming house has been converted from a traditional rooming house with shared facilities into self-contained apartments that allow for private independent living.

A Church Street resident, Jason, said the transformation of his home had also transformed his life.

It is serene, beautifully comfortable and self-contained and it resembles a place you can call home and not be embarrassed to have friends or family visit here, which for me was the case previously, Jason said.

The much-needed work has transformed crisis and transitional housing, rooming houses, and long-term housing properties across Victoria.

The improvements will extend the life of homes by up to 15 years and has enabled the retention of around 1,600 public and community homes that could have become unliveable.