Housing
The issue
Housing is one of Australia’s biggest challenges. Decades of inaction across all levels of government have driven the pressures we now see, and communities like Dunkley are feeling the impact.
Australians are competing for limited rentals, lining up at auctions, or met with long social housing waitlists due to limited supply. While this is a national issue, it is especially acute here in Dunkley. Housing pressures in Dunkley are real, immediate and deeply human. We do not have enough homes to meet current demand, let alone future growth. We need to build more homes, the right mix of homes, and build them in the right places.
The Albanese Labor Government is committed to restoring the Australian dream of home ownership by implementing reforms and building supply.
Our Growing Community
The Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre Plan (FMAC), signed by Frankston City Council and the Victorian Government, provides a strong foundation for growth. With Frankston transitioning from town to city, the State Government has set a target of 33,000 new homes by 2051.
This includes a diverse mix - 46% private housing and 54% affordable and social homes, key worker accommodation, and crisis and transitional housing.
While private developments are underway, we need an integrated pathway to deliver the remaining homes.
Many organisations have approached me with ideas to address this “wicked problem”. Dunkley has the key ingredients for success - land, expertise, local knowledge and committed partners. What is needed is a shared roadmap to turn ideas into homes.
Bring Partners Together
To address this, I convened the Dunkley Housing Forum to bring key partners together to share information, identify the gaps, needs, and opportunities, and align efforts to unlock supply and accelerate housing delivery.
The forum included representatives from the three levels of government, community housing providers, developers, landholders, universities, investors, construction companies and peak bodies, including federal and state housing and planning ministers and local council.
The forum focused on five objectives:
- sharing housing and demographic data;
- identifying organisations with land, funding or delivery capacity;
- understanding barriers to delivery;
- exploring funding and investment models; and
- aligning local projects with federal and state programs.
What We Discussed
There was strong consensus that Dunkley has solid foundations for housing delivery - available land, strong demand, clear planning frameworks, and partners ready to invest.
We also heard clearly about the barriers, including slow planning processes, rising construction costs, limited rental supply, long social housing waitlists, and fragmented responsibilities across governments.
Collaboration was a central theme, with strong support for integrated developments combining private, affordable, social and specialist housing. The forum also highlighted the growing role of modern construction methods, public-private partnerships, and better alignment with federal programs such as the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) and the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF).
Organisations including Monash University, McClelland Gallery, Heidelberg Materials Australia, Urban DC, Vasey RSL, Community Housing Limited and Spotlight Property Group presented their findings on what’s working and what’s needed.
Building Momentum into Delivery
The message was clear - Dunkley can become a national example of coordinated, place-based housing delivery if momentum is maintained.
Housing matters because it underpins our way of life - access to work, education, healthcare and community connection. It matters for young people, families, older residents, essential workers, and those doing it tough.
The Dunkley Housing Forum was an important step forward. I am committed to continuing this work, strengthening coordination, and turning good ideas into real outcomes to deliver the homes our community needs.
The next step is convening the Frankston Housing Revitalisation Taskforce, a local body to ensure we keep momentum and deliver homes on the ground.
