Calls for more social and affordable housing come as new research reveals that regional Victorians are paying thousands of dollars more per year in rent than they were three years ago.
Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) Victoria has analysed the SQM Research Weekly Rents Index for the postcodes proposed to play host to athletes’ villages during the Commonwealth Games 2026.
Since May 2020, median rents for combined units and homes have surged between 21 per cent and 42 per cent across the postcodes of the proposed village locations. It means renters living in those postcodes are now paying between $69 and $100 extra in rent per week compared to the early days of the pandemic.
For Gippslanders living in Morwell, the May 2023 asking rent was $337, a weekly rental increase of $100 (42 per cent) since May 2020, with CHIA reporting the Latrobe Valley totals an unmet housing need of 7,300.
CHIA Vic acting chief executive, Jason Perdriau said last week the data highlights the urgent need for the state government to invest in more social and affordable housing in this month’s budget.
“Rents have soared across Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland over the past three years. We can’t allow the same thing to happen with no solutions over the next three years ahead of the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
“We also wait in anticipation on the next steps for the construction of the athletes’ villages across regional Victoria. We hope the government will partner with community housing organisations to guarantee the accommodation is suitable and affordable for Victorians in housing need after the Games.
“The Commonwealth Games athletes’ villages should be used to make an ambitious contribution to social housing in these regional areas that are becoming more unaffordable for more people.
“Repurposing the villages into a mixed tenure model of social, affordable and market rentals, alongside shared equity and market sale homes, would provide hundreds of Victorians with a home, encourage further investment in these areas, and demonstrate the value of rolling out these kinds of developments across Victoria.”
