‘I feel like a fourth-grade citizen’: Victorian public tenants in private homes fear eviction as the wait for permanent housing drags on
News Source
•Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:00:36 GMT
📰 What Happened
Gail and Laura Innes live in a private home that the Victorian government rents for them. This setup is called headleasing. The government pays market rent and the tenants pay a lower, subsidised rent.
Now their private landlord wants to sell the home. The pair fear they could be evicted. They feel like second-class citizens while they wait for permanent housing.
🔍 The Backstory
Their old public housing tower in Port Melbourne was knocked down in 2022. Headleasing was meant to be a temporary fix until new housing was ready. The wait has dragged on far longer than promised.
For their home in Albert Park, the gap between market rent and their subsidised rent is about four thousand dollars a month. A tribunal ruled in August that one eviction notice was invalid.
🎯 Why It Matters
Public tenants are stuck in insecure housing with no clear path to a permanent home. It shows a big gap in Victoria's public housing plan.
Gail and Laura Innes live in a private home that the Victorian government rents for them. This setup is called headleasing. The government pays market rent and the tenants pay a lower, subsidised rent.
Now their private landlord wants to sell the home. The pair fear they could be evicted. They feel like second-class citizens while they wait for permanent housing.
Their old public housing tower in Port Melbourne was knocked down in 2022. Headleasing was meant to be a temporary fix until new housing was ready. The wait has dragged on far longer than promised.
For their home in Albert Park, the gap between market rent and their subsidised rent is about four thousand dollars a month. A tribunal ruled in August that one eviction notice was invalid.
Public tenants are stuck in insecure housing with no clear path to a permanent home. It shows a big gap in Victoria's public housing plan.