Labor loses inner Melbourne over public housing redevelopment fight
Victorian Labor's plan to redevelop public housing towers is costing them ground in inner Melbourne ahead of the state election.
The Labor government is demolishing and rebuilding 44 public housing towers, with 12 in the Greens-held seat of Richmond. Long-term residents like 76-year-old Pauline say they were pressured to move into other towers also slated for demolition.
Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri, who holds Richmond, says the redevelopment is making Labor unpopular with even 'staunch Labor voters'. The Greens have held Melbourne, Richmond and Brunswick for more than a decade and are targeting four more Labor inner-city seats.
Ben Carroll, Labor's new leader, has announced policies to regain ground: allowing dogs in pubs, extending trading hours to 3am and walking back datacentre plans. De Vietri says the government is 'ploughing ahead' with tower redevelopment with little community input.
- 44 across Victoria
- Towers being redeveloped
- 12
- Towers in Richmond
- 139 Highett Street, North Richmond
- Pauline's tower address
- November
- Election date
Why it mattersThe inner city could decide whether Labor holds government in November. The public housing row is driving voters to the Greens at a moment when Labor can least afford to lose seats.
AustraliaVictorian election contest tightens as Labor fights to reclaim city seats from the Greens, with displaced public housing residents at the centre of the battle.
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