Submission to the Inquiry into the redevelopment of Melbourne’s public housing towers

Since the announcement of the demolition at 259 Malvern Road, South Yarra, Southside has engaged closely with residents to understand their concerns regarding the impact of the development and relocations. On 31 March 2025, we made a formal submission to the Inquiry into the Redevelopment of Melbourne’s Public Housing Towers – utilising the voices of residents as the basis for 25 recommendations to the Inquiry.

You can read our submission in full here.

Our recommendations

Decision-making should be open and transparent

1. The Victorian Government should ensure transparency by publicly releasing all documents that have informed the decision to relocate residents and demolish their

Challenges to community stability

2. The Victorian Government should pause the relocation process for 259 Malvern Road until the community housing construction on Simmons Street is completed in This will allow residents who wish to remain on the estate to be transferred into the new properties first, minimising disruption and maintaining community cohesion.
3. The Victorian Government should assess relocation impacts and develop strategies to address service disruptions, while prioritising community cohesion, especially for vulnerable communities.
4. The Victorian Government should guarantee that essential services, such as the kindergarten at 259 Malvern Road, are preserved and relocated within close proximity to the Horace Petty Estate.
5. The Victorian Government should create a temporary office or ensure that there is a Prahran Housing Office that is accessible to South Yarra/Prahran residents to maintain effective engagement and support.
6. The Victorian Government should implement measures to mitigate the impact of ongoing construction on residents’ well-being.

Insufficient communication with residents

7. The Victorian Government should update the Public Housing Renewal Program website more frequently with accurate and comprehensive information. This should include clear explanations of the indicative plans, detailed timelines, specific project milestones, and any changes as they occur for all towers.
8. The Victorian Government should ensure that the Relocation team is permanently located at the Prahran Housing Office or another accessible location to allow residents to have face-to-face interactions with relocation officers and receive immediate assistance.

Challenges in relocation and offers

9. The Victorian Government should ensure that residents are given sufficient time to read and seek independent advice about the relocation documents before signing.
10. The Victorian Government should implement a system to accurately record meetings and conversations between residents and relocation officers to ensure that the relocation paperwork reflects the verbal discussion.
11. The Victorian Government should ensure that special accommodation requirement forms submitted by residents are respected and considered in the bedroom allocation.
12. The Victorian Government should make the relocation guidelines publicly This will provide transparency and clarity on how decisions are being made.

One relocation only

13. The Victorian Government adopt the principle of “One Relocation Only” to ensure residents are not burdened by repeated relocations.

Financial burden of relocation

14. The Victorian Government should provide comprehensive financial assistance to cover all relocation costs and necessary This includes replacing personal belongings that cannot be moved, such as furniture and items affected by mould or pest infestations, to alleviate the financial strain on residents.
15. The Victorian Government should address the additional costs faced by residents due to the lack of choice in their new This includes covering expenses for replacing furniture and whitegoods that do not fit or purchasing appliances like washing machines if moving from a property with communal laundry facilities to one without.
16. The Victorian Government should ensure that Community Housing Providers do not charge additional property costs which exceed the charges being paid in the public housing If there is a difference in the charges, the Victorian Government should cover the costs.

Government should centre impacted communities in consultations.

17. The Victorian Government should adopt best practice guidelines for consultation with public housing tower residents, their representatives, and local stakeholders to ensure diverse perspectives and needs are considered in planning and redevelopment process.

Residents rights should be safeguarded in compelled relocations.

18. The Victorian Government should ensure residents relocated from public housing to community housing receive equivalent legal rights and protections.
19. The Victorian Government should implement stronger oversight and regulation of community housing providers. This will address disparities in legal protections, reduce eviction rates, and ensure proper maintenance of properties, thereby protecting residents’ rights.
20. The Victorian Government should address the issue of ‘additional property costs’ faced by residents in community Ensuring that these costs do not exceed those charged in public housing will help maintain housing rights for relocated residents.
21. The Victorian Government should amend the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act to explicitly include community housing providers as public authorities. This amendment will ensure that community housing providers are held to the same standards as public housing, guaranteeing residents the same protections and rights.
22. The Victorian Government should expand the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) to include community housing providers.

Public housing should be retained and protected.

23. The Victorian Government should commit to retaining and protecting public housing within inner-city Melbourne.
24. The Victorian Government should address the severe shortage of social housing in Victoria by increasing the proportion of public housing to at least match the national average of 4 per cent.
25. The Victorian Government should ensure that residents displaced by the plan, such as those at 259 Malvern Road, have the right to return to public housing on their original estates.