Victoria Opposition Leader Jess Wilson unveiled a housing plan at the Herald Sun Future Victoria Summit on the 25th, advocating for expanding Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) to include Collingwood, Fitzroy, Fishermans Bend, North Melbourne, Parkville, and parts of Southbank. This would permit increased building heights and densities while promoting inner-city residential growth in areas with existing public transport and convenient connections to “restore urban vitality.”
Wilson emphasized that demand for city-center housing remains strong among young professionals, downsizers, students, and small families, yet supply falls short. She pledged to expedite approvals for 27 Precinct Structure Plans in Melbourne’s outer growth corridors, collaborating with local councils to ensure infrastructure provision and community engagement. She also proposed scrapping Labor’s “activity centers” model, opposing high-rise residential development in inner suburbs, and transferring planning authority to local councils.
Labor Premier Jacinta Allan criticized Wilson’s plan for drawing boundaries within Melbourne that exclude millennials and young people from housing. Labor plans to build 300,000 homes across 50 inner-city areas by 2051, emphasizing the importance of public transport and infrastructure support.
Commentary:
Wilson’s housing plan demonstrates the opposition party’s proactive positioning on housing issues ahead of the state election, clearly laying the groundwork for the November vote. She advocates expanding Melbourne’s CBD boundaries to address strong demand for inner-city living among young professionals, students, and small families. However, the plan lacks concrete details on balancing population growth, infrastructure capacity, and community quality of life, which may introduce challenges and uncertainties during implementation.
Additionally, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that new home completions through September 2025 totaled only 54,323 units—the lowest level since 2014. This underscores that housing remains a core challenge requiring urgent solutions for both the opposition and the Labor Party. The key lies not only in identifying suitable development zones but also in addressing slow infrastructure approvals, investor land hoarding, and tax incentive policies to genuinely alleviate Victoria’s housing pressures.