Gail Innes thought securing a home through Victoria’s public housing system was the best day of her life. Now the disability pensioner in her 70s and her daughter Laura face another deadline to leave the privately owned Albert Park property where they have been living under a government headleasing arrangement. A new notice to vacate says they must leave on 25 November, three days before the Victorian state election.
The pair moved into the home after their Port Melbourne public housing estate was demolished in 2022 as part of a redevelopment program. Under headleasing, the government rents a privately owned property at market rates and on-leases it to public housing tenants, who continue to pay subsidised rent. The Guardian reported that the difference between the market rent and the family’s rent is about $4,000 a month.
In August, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that an earlier notice used to seek the family’s eviction was invalid. Gail described the decision as the best day of her life. But another notice followed days later, leaving the family anxious about where they will live next and whether they could face homelessness.
The dispute has raised wider concerns about the security of tenants placed in private homes through government headleasing arrangements. Community legal centres have reportedly warned that people who lose such accommodation may risk being pushed to the bottom of public housing waiting lists. The family’s case also raises questions about how government agencies support tenants when private property owners decide to sell.
The Victorian Ombudsman declined to investigate the family’s complaint further. In correspondence reported by The Guardian, the department said it had considered Gail’s accessibility needs and that other properties previously identified for the pair were unsuitable. Homes Victoria also said the family could return to the redeveloped Barak Beacon estate in Port Melbourne, which it expects to be completed by the end of 2026, while continuing to look for other housing options.
Homes Victoria says headleasing supplements public housing and can provide transitional accommodation while homes are upgraded or redeveloped, as well as housing for people with specific needs. The department said suitable options remain limited because of availability, location and accessibility requirements, as well as difficulty finding landlords willing to enter headlease arrangements.
The case comes amid Victoria’s plan to replace 44 older public housing towers with new housing developments involving social, community and private-sector homes. The multibillion-dollar program is intended to renew ageing buildings and increase housing supply, but relocations have left some residents dependent on private rentals while redevelopment proceeds. The Liberal opposition has said it would review the project if elected.
A notice to vacate does not by itself mean a tenant can be physically removed immediately. Consumer Affairs Victoria says landlords must follow the legal process, and a renter can challenge a notice where there are grounds to do so. If a tenant does not leave, a rental provider generally needs to seek a possession order through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal; police can enforce an eviction only with the required warrant.
For Gail and Laura, the policy debate is immediate and personal. They remain in the Albert Park home while waiting for a suitable alternative, with the November deadline approaching. Their experience highlights the gap between rebuilding public housing for the future and ensuring that people displaced by redevelopment have secure homes in the meantime.
