Regions Plan for Density as Bush Housing Crisis Worsens

As more Victorians find themselves sleeping rough in towns and bushland around the state, councils are scrambling to address housing demand. In the western Victorian city of Ballarat, mayor Des Hudson says councils are playing catch-up when it comes to the housing crisis. “It’s something that has been rolling along and rolling along, and now it’s at crisis point and everyone’s talking about it,” he told AAP. “But houses don’t come onto availability within a quick moment in time.” Affordable rental listings in regional Victoria have plummeted since the pandemic, with PropTrack data showing rentals under $400 (US$266) per week falling from almost 70 percent in March 2020, to a little more than 20 percent in April 2024....