The two modernist towers served Victoria’s road authorities as headquarters for six decades. Now abandoned, they stand on a busy corner in Melbourne’s inner east, waiting to go the way of the train station that was demolished to make way for them in 1957.
The main office is now fenced off and the only sign of any life at the site on Friday was a handful of VicRoads vehicles parked at a rear entrance. A security guard said there was no longer public access to the 2.5-hectare property. But this week, Monique Ryan, the MP for Kooyong, will tell federal parliament that the housing crisis has worsened because politicians are not backing specific housing projects within their electorates.“Politicians are happy to talk about big housing construction targets, but then stay silent – or oppose – housing projects in their own electorates for their own political self-interest,” Ryan said. “That has to change.