Getting More Homes in Wills

The Albanese Labor Government knows we need more homes in Australia, and you can read our plans to get more Australians into a home of their own here. 

To support housing in Wills, the Albanese Labor Government is:

1. Delivering over 430 new social and affordable homes in Brunswick and Coburg through Round 1 of the Housing Australia Future Fund.
2. Providing just under 30 homes for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence through the Safe Places Program
3. Delivering 800 homes with cheaper, more secure long-term leases through the Build to Rent program
4. Getting 1000 residents into their first home through the Home Guarantee Scheme
5. Working with Merri-bek City Council to develop a Revitalising Coburg Masterplan and to deliver examples of designs for medium-density development and provide targeted design advice and training materials to developers.

Sporting Schools Program

The Sporting Schools Program is a Government initiative designed to help schools increase children’s participation in sport and connect them with community sport opportunities.

These programs are provided free to kids and their families to help them build the confidence and capability to be active for life.

For a full list of education initiatives, click here.

Student Wellbeing Grants and National Student Wellbeing Program

The mental health and wellbeing of Australia’s children and youth continues to be affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s why the Albanese Labor Government has provided $203 million towards the Student Wellbeing Boost package. 

In our electorate, 47 schools received a total of $900,000, with schools using the funding towards extra school mental health professionals, camps and activities targeted at improving students’ wellbeing, and other proven wellbeing and mental initiatives.

Schools Upgrade Fund

We’re upgrading schools across Wills, with seven schools receiving funding for capital works, including the construction of an Outdoor Learning Centre and new outdoor learning spaces at Brunswick South West Primary School, playground upgrades and classroom library resources at Pascoe Vale North Primary School.

The funding has also contributed to new classroom laptops, upgrades to STEM labs, installing air purifiers and refurbishing classrooms at schools across the electorate.

Community Language Schools Grants

We’re supporting more young Australians to acquire a second language – because we know the importance of connecting more young Australians with the languages of their parents, grandparents, and broader community.

In our electorate, this will deliver more language education for school-aged and pre-school children.

Languages covered by the grant in our electorate include Vietnamese, Arabic, Greek, Serbian and Bengali.

Fawkner Leisure Centre Upgrade

The Albanese Labor Government has provided half a million dollars towards the Fawkner Leisure Centre Refurbishment – which just reopened in November! The refurbished centre includes a new outdoor 50 metre pool, outdoor family water play pool, BBQs, sauna, steam room, spa and more.

Moomba Park Reserve Development, Fawkner

We’re providing $1.45 million towards a brand-new Fawkner Community Sports and Recreation Hub in Moomba Park Reserve through the Albanese Labor Government’s Thriving Suburbs Program.

This new hub will be used for multiple sports, community meetings, educational programs and more.

Moonee Ponds Revitalisation Project

The Albanese Labor Government has contributed $5 million to back the revitalisation of Moonee Ponds Creek, including removing the concrete sections from Oak Park and Strathmore and transforming the creek into a thriving natural waterway.

Enhancing our lands wand waterways is an incredibly importance aspect of caring for Country, and makes the creek a more vibrant place for all of us who visit. 

I have advocated for this funding alongside the Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek since becoming the Member for Wills in 2016 and am excited to see the revitalisation works continue in 2025!

Volunteer Grants 2023-24

Over 21 local community organisations in Wills received Volunteer Grants in 2023-24, with the funding going towards purchasing equipment for volunteers, or to help pay for volunteer’s fuel, transport and training costs.

This funding provides greater support for local volunteers to ensure they can continue to support our community. A strong local volunteering sector is a reflection of our combined efforts to foster social cohesion across our community.

Emergency Relief and Food Relief Fund

The Albanese Labor Government has provided funding for emergency relief and food relief in Wills for Sacred Heart Mission, Vincent Care, Uniting Vic, and The Salvation Army.

The funding goes towards supporting these organisations to provide basic needs – like food, medicine or shelter for vulnerable people in our community.

Safe Steps

The Albanese Labor Government is providing $7.8 million to the Safe Steps Sanctuary as part of their Emergency Accommodation Program.

This will create up to 102 new safe places for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence, and builds upon the +$4 billion investment by the Government into ending violence against women and children in a generation.

Securing Faith-Based Places Grants

The Albanese Labor Government is dedicated to improving Australia’s social cohesion – and that means keeping our faith-based places safe and improving multiculturalism through connecting communities together.

That’s why we’ve provided funding to the Coburg and Carlton Mosque to improve security infrastructure.

We’ve also provided funding through the Local Multicultural Projects grant to support various multicultural projects that will strengthen cohesion at the local level, boost civic participation, and strengthen community connections.

Community Development

Throughout Wills, the Albanese Labor Government is investing in our local communities, ensuring that our community spaces are fit-for-purpose for decades to come.

We're upgrading the Greek Centre Community Hub in Albion Street Brunswick, as well as completed upgrades to the Newlands Senior Citizens Centre.

We have also invested $10.5 million for the Coburg North Sports Hub to support sporting upgrades for locals, and provided funding to local reserves and sports clubs to upgrade toilet facilities.

Fixing Roads around Wills

Across our electorate, the Albanese Labor Government has provided over $6 million in funding for important road projects, including in Pascoe Vale, Carlton North, Coburg, Fawkner, Glenroy, Hadfield and Brunswick.

Included within these projects have been renewals and reconstructions of existing roads, pavement, asphalt and kerbing replacements, drainage imprsovements, zebra crossings, raised crossings, speed humps and cushions, installation of pedestrian operated signals, and lighting and signage upgrades to keep us safe on the roads.

The funding for these projects has been provided through the Roads to Recovery Program, Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, and the Black Spot Program.

Veterans Grants

Veterans gave their all to our country, and the Albanese Labor Government is dedicated to supporting the veterans who live in our community and recognising their sacrifice.

That’s why we’ve provided grants to restore the South African Soldiers Association of Victoria banner at the Coburg RSL, provided funding for a flagpole and memorial garden at St Fidelis Primary School, and helped to produce ‘ANZACS The Greek Chapter’ – a documentary detailing the untold story of Australian and New Zealand service personnel in Greece during the Second World War

Health and Aged Care

The Albanese Labor Government is investing $37 million into a cost of living boost for more than 500 aged care meal providers across Australia. This will help ensure nutritious, quality meals are delivered to older Australians in their homes.

In our community, funding was received by both the Merri Outreach Support Service Ltd and Merri-bek City Council.

The Federal Government has also provided funding to the Aboriginal Community Elder Services in Brunswick East for OHS items and upgrades to their toolkit to help maintain the premises.

For a full list of volunteer grants, community upgrades and programs click here.

Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

We’ve supported small and medium-sized businesses with a $325,000 worth of grants to upgrade and replace inefficient equipment to help reduce electricity bills and the cost of doing business.

The grants funded a range of energy efficiency activities, which may include replacing gas cookers with electric equivalents or older equipment with energy-saving replacements, improving space and water heaters, installing energy monitoring systems, and more.

Community Battery

We’re installing two community batteries in our electorate – in Coburg and Brunswick.

These batteries store excess solar energy for households to use during peak times, and will lower electricity bills, reduce pressure in the electricity grid, support more rooftop solar and allow households who cannot afford solar panels to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy.

This was a commitment of the Albanese Labor Government in 2022, and I am pleased to say that these batteries are nearing completion to become operational this year.

For a full list of energy and climate program funding recipients, click here.

Community Energy Upgrades Fund

Oak Park Sports and Aquatic Precinct has received $750k to help the site transition to net zero by removing all gas usage. Boilers for heating pool water and showers, as well as kitchen equipment, will be replaced with heat pumps and other electric technology.

With electricity backed by certificates from the Crowlands Windfarm, the project will significantly reduce Merri-bek City Council's carbon emissions. Electrification will reduce energy costs now and in future, as the price of gas continues to increase.

Revive Live Arts and Creative Australia Grants

We’re supporting Australian live music and venues. That’s why we’ve given over $160,000 through the Revive Live grants programme to the Brunswick Music Festival to cover artist fees and costs, and to the Howler music venue for acoustic upgrades.

We’re also giving 13 artists in Wills over $400,000 through Creative Australia to support their creative endeavours and help Australian artists break into international markets. That includes funding for local bands, musicians, literature programs, community arts, visual arts and dance.

Through the Indigenous Languages and Arts Program and Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support, we’ve given over $400,000 to support Indigenous artists in our electorate.

Our venues, art spaces and artists are a key reason why Wills is one of the best places in the country to live, work and play – and I’ll always support the arts.

For a full lists of arts funding and recipients, click here.

Local Sporting Grants

The Albanese Labor Government is supporting local sporting champions to achieve their dreams, by making sure they’re able to travel to competitions.

This program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships.

The Albanese Labor Government is also supporting local high-performance athletes to reach their full potential and ensure those qualifying for international events -  like the olympics and paralympics.

For more details on sporting grants and funds, click here.