The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has slammed the Allan Labor Government for its ongoing failure to address Victoria’s housing affordability crisis, as new figures show rents, waitlists, and homelessness are all surging across the state.
According to the Government’s own March Quarter 2025 Rental Report, median rents in regional Victoria have soared by 6 per cent in the past 12 months, rising to $460 per week; compared to a 3.7 per cent increase in Melbourne.
Ms Benham said the data highlights how regional communities are carrying the brunt of Labor’s housing crisis on top of the cost-of-living pressures already facing households.
“Families across Mildura are already stretched to the limit with rising grocery bills, power prices, and health costs,” Ms Benham said.
“Now, with rents jumping six per cent in just a year, many people are being forced into smaller or unsuitable homes, sharing with strangers, or moving away from their communities altogether. It’s simply unacceptable.”
New figures from the Council to Homeless Persons reveal surging social housing waitlists and a growing number of Victorians being forced into homelessness or housing stress, with more than 60,000 Victorians on the social housing waiting list and around 10,000 people each month seeking homelessness services due to housing stress.
“The Allan Labor Government talks a big game about new social housing, but the reality is they’ve failed to deliver. Meanwhile, Labor keeps introducing new and higher taxes on property owners, forcing many to sell up and driving rents through the roof. The result is fewer rentals, higher costs, and more families left without a home,” Ms Benham said.
“Without urgent investment in regional housing, we risk seeing even more families forced out of their homes.
Labor can’t manage housing, it can’t manage money, and regional Victorians are paying the price,” Ms Benham said.
