Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Housing ought to be ashamed of herself for misleading the public. Bayside, Glen Eira and Kingston absolutely do their fair share. In a recent speech, she said:

Over the past 30 years, Melton has grown by 433 per cent. Wyndham by 316 per cent.

And, in an attempt to punch down on Bayside, Glen Eira and Kingston, she continued:

While inner suburban areas such as Boroondara and Bayside have grown at just 24 and 28 per cent respectively.

Let's get to the facts. In 1996, Melton's density was 77 persons per square kilometre. Today, it is 416.5. Wyndham's density was 140.7 persons per square kilometre; now it is 621.7. Compare this to Bayside's density, which, in 1996, was 2,334.2 persons per square kilometre. Today, it is 2,851.8 persons per square kilometre. Thirty years ago, Bayside was nearly five times denser than Wyndham and Melton are today. It seems the minister's auditioning to be the Premier of Victoria, such is her appetite for misleading the public and attacking people who simply want to have places to live that promote community. Here's a different alternative: Minister, grow up. Stop being a child. You're a lousy minister. Build some houses so people have somewhere to live.

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