Victoria’s parliament has passed sweeping planning reforms, giving the government new powers to mandate affordable housing in major developments.
The Victorian government’s overhaul of the state’s planning laws passed overnight with the support of the Greens.
A Greens amendment creates a new legal “head of power” allowing the government to require property developers to include affordable housing in large, fast-tracked projects.
Greens planning spokesperson Sarah Mansfield said the change leaves Labor with “no excuse” to give special treatment to developers.
She said developers focus on profit, and Labor has historically allowed them to dominate decisions over what gets built.
The government said details on how the new power will operate will be finalised after consultation with industry, councils and the community.
The laws also introduce three new planning approval streams, cutting permit timelines by up to 60 days depending on project size.
Third-party appeal rights will be scrapped for smaller developments and restricted to directly affected neighbours for larger apartment projects.
Planning minister Sonya Kilkenny said the reforms would deliver more homes, while accusing the Liberals of trying to block them.
