Melbourne’s eastern suburbs are set to accommodate hundreds of thousands of new homes over the next 25 years, but building enough homes is only part of the challenge.

In February 2025, then-Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced the Labor government’s finalised housing targets for 2051, including 76,500 additional dwellings in Whitehorse, 69,500 in Monash, 65,500 in Boroondara, 43,000 in Knox, 39,500 in Maroondah, 28,500 in Manningham and 25,000 in Yarra Ranges.

This means the eastern suburbs need to see an extra 347,500 homes created over the next 25 years – or about 13,900 every year.

While the targets have a goal to increase the number of social and affordable homes in Victoria, they do not mandate a minimum amount, instead setting an aim for the percentage of new homes that are social or affordable.

Social housing is an umbrella term that refers to a range of dwelling options for people on low-to-middle incomes or people struggling to pay rent, including public housing, which is owned and managed by the Victorian government; and community housing, which is operated by not-for-profit organisations.

Affordable housing is for low-to-moderate income households that don’t qualify for public or community housing but still struggle to pay rent.

The latest Victorian Housing Register (VHR) figures highlighted 68,971 applications were stuck in the social housing waitlist as of June 2026.

Liz Seuseu, the associate principal of design and architecture firm Architectus, said the main challenge facing Melbourne’s east is finding a way to deliver more homes in a way that fits seamlessly within existing communities.

“We need to put density where density makes sense,” she told the Eastern Melburnian. “We need to put it near centres with transport, jobs and schools.”

As part of the 2026/27 state budget, the Victorian Labor government committed $860 million over the next five years towards the Social Housing Growth Fund, which aims to deliver more than 7,000 new social homes, and a further $207 million investment towards supporting “better and more affordable housing”.

Victoria’s Liberal Party released its housing plans in February, with party leader Jess Wilson pledging to boost housing affordability by “releasing more land, bringing greater density to the inner city, protecting the voice of local residents and supporting growth in our regions”.

In July, the Victorian Greens released their plans to make housing more affordable, including building more than 88,000 new public homes and mandating new developments with 15 units or more to deliver a minimum of 30 percent affordable housing.

One Nation would review government taxes, offer support for private and community organisations to deliver low-cost housing and relinquish unused government land.

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Renters in eastern Melbourne apartments could soon hang portable plug-in solar systems off their balconies, allowing them to save about 15 percent off their annual power bill without having to receive a green-light from their owners corporation.

In September, Australia’s energy ministers agreed to explore options to legalise and roll out consumer-level solar systems.

A Yarra Ranges solar engineer says Victoria could quickly follow in the footsteps of countries like Germany and the UK – if regulations can be quickly approved.

Plug‑in solar and battery systems are small, portable units that can be installed on apartment balconies without a professional electrician and plugged into a regular power point to offset the cost of powering appliances.

While the systems are much smaller than their rooftop counterparts, they are estimated to cost from $650 to $1,300, making them more accessible to renters or low-income families.

A RMIT University study estimated a one-kilowatt plug-in balcony system could save a Melbourne household about $248 annually, or about 15 percent below the price benchmark for power costs across the state.

In an unshaded Melbourne apartment, a one-kilowatt system could produce up to 3.6 kilowatt-hours of electricity every day, which is enough to power a fridge, washing machine, kettle, toaster and dishwasher via normal usage.

Solar has traditionally been harder to get if you live in an apartment, and even trickier if you rent.

A Victorian parliamentary inquiry report delivered in August found the state’s apartment owners have faced complex and expensive barriers to accessing renewable energy, including requiring a 75 percent agreement from owners corporations to install shared solar systems.

According to the 2021 Census, about one in eight Victorians live in an apartment and one in three of those are renters. In Boroondara, 24.2 percent of occupied dwellings are apartments, while 28.8 percent of all dwellings are rented.

Independent candidate for Hawthorn Shima Ibuki said she believed all residents deserve access to cheap renewable power, regardless of whether they own the roof they live under.

“I will fight for the rapid approval and rollout of plug-in solar and batteries for balconies and courtyards,” she told the Eastern Melburnian.

Glen Morris, the general manager at Smart Energy Lab in Mount Toolebewong, said Victoria could lead the rollout of plug-in systems.

“Apartment dwellers need an option they can buy, carry home and plug in,” he told the Eastern Melburnian. “The work other countries have done means we don’t have to start from scratch.”

Plug‑in solar and battery systems are commonly used in many European countries, including more than 1.3 million registered systems in Germany to date as well as parts of the United States.

In August, the United Kingdom legalised installation, while New Zealand plans to do the same within the next nine to 12 months.

While the systems can technically be sold in Australia, it is still illegal to plug them in and use them in your home.

Morris said the hurdles currently preventing a rollout across Victoria include the cost of requiring a licensed electrician to install a system as well complex approvals before they can be used.

Morris said testing underway at the Smart Energy Lab was demonstrating that the technology could be safely integrated.

“There really is no technical reason why Australians should not be able to safely access balcony solar, but the regulatory framework needs to catch up fast,” he said.

Solar Citizens chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said they would push for energy ministers to provide a “firm timeline and deadline” by their next meeting in December, with a hope for legalisation by next July.

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Police are searching for a trio of arsonists who accidentally set their own vehicle alight in Box Hill South on Wednesday morning.

It is alleged three male offenders drove to a property on Duncan Street at about 5:10am Wednesday morning to attempt to set fire to a vehicle.

However, they instead ignited and caused extensive damage to their own vehicle – a Mazda MX3 – and promptly fled the scene on foot, with no damage caused to the victim’s vehicle in the process.

Police have received unconfirmed reports the alleged offenders were armed with machetes.

According to police, the offenders may have sustained injuries during the incident, which they are treating as targeted.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam or CCTV footage or anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Question 1: Originally named after the coarse silvery-white grass covering the area, what was Croydon’s original name?
A: White Flats

Question 2: Which suburb has its name derived from the Indigenous people's expression for “a gurgling stream”?
A: Wantirna

Question 3: Which suburb’s name is thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning either “battlefield” or “ceremonial ground”?
A: Nunawading

Question 4: Which suburb’s name combines the Gaelic words for “home” and “vine”?
A: Balwyn

Question 5: Which suburb’s name originates from a Woiwurrung word meaning "hiding place in the hills" or "sanctuary”?
A: Monbulk