When public housing is under attack, what do we do? Stand up – fight back!
Public Housing Week – Sunday 4 – Saturday 10 October, 2026
Media Release
September 2026
The ALP Victorian government plans to demolish all 44 of Melbourne‘s public housing towers, displacing 10,000 residents and continues to hide the 146 documents they claim backs their decision.
To show support for residents in all forms of public housing, Public Housing Week has been created as an annual event from Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 October, 2026.
The ALP’s plan, that will cost at least $12 billion, means these sites will be demolished and rebuilt by private developers with a mix of private dwellings and social housing which will be run like private rentals from private landlords to profit from some of the most vulnerable in society.
The fate of one of the biggest public housing towers, in Highett Street, Richmond, has been made public with the announcement that once the tower is demolished, it will be replaced with 800 apartments, 150 of which will be social housing and 650 build-to-rent apartments.
The government is ignoring a United Nations report by the special rapporteur on adequate housing which has criticised the decision to bulldoze 44 public housing towers and says the plans are in violation of the international human right to housing.
The Victorian Ombudsman is now investigating the experience of public housing residents who were forced to relocate and whether the government’s approach was compatible with residents' human rights.
On Wednesday 7 October, the High Court will hear a case brought on behalf of hundreds of tenants by Inner Melbourne Community Legal that aims to overturn the demolition decision. The residents will argue that they should have been consulted with before a decision was made that affects them and their communities.
And in the meantime, no large homelessness organisation has spoken out against the biggest change to Victorian housing since those same towers were built. Why? Because many of these organisations will become the managers of the community housing that is proposed to replace the towers.
The destruction of public housing will demonstrably worsen homelessness in this state where 65,000 people languish on the public housing waitlist.
Public Housing Week is a chance to celebrate the people and communities that live in public housing and to fight back against the wanton destruction and handing over of public assets to private concerns that is the government’s neo-liberal plan to deal with every increasing homelessness and cost of living crises.
Events in Public Housing Week 2026
Sunday 4 October from 1pm-4pm
Hands Around the Towers – We love where we live
DJs, bands, free BBQ and tea and coffee, kids activities! Show your support for the Public Housing Community of Collingwood as we connect our hands around the towers. It’s all happening 1-4pm Sunday 4th Oct. Totally free event! Harmsworth Street Reserve Collingwood.
Thursday 8 October – 12pm-1pm
Public Housing – Everybody’s Business
On the Steps of Parliament House, Melbourne, join public housing residents, organisations and supporters who believe public housing is more than just a place to live - it's about dignity, security, community, and ensuring everyone has access to a safe, affordable home.
Honks For Housing
Every weekday, morning from 7.30-9am and evening from 5pm-6.30pm, at the public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington, defenders of public housing are in attendance letting the residents know they are still supported and encouraging Honks for Public Housing.
Every Thursday from 4pm to 5pm outside the Collingwood public housing towers near the footbridge over Hoddle Street.
Plans for Public Housing Week 2027 include the inaugural Public Housing Oration series.
The government defines 'social housing' as an umbrella term for both Public Housing and Community Housing.
Conflating two very different models of housing in this way is a deliberate strategy which hides and obfuscates the government's privatisation agenda.
It also makes it difficult to track how much Public Housing is being demolished, lost and/or transferred to Community Housing companies since they are both labelled 'social housing.'
Only Public Housing is owned and managed by the government, whereas Community Housing properties are owned and/or managed by private companies.
For interviews with public housing activists from the various organisations defending public housing and the communities who live in them, or more information, please contact:
Darren Saffin
0411 089 209