Jacinta Allan is staking her premiership on getting more frustrated millennials into the cramped housing market, pitching an ambitious vision to make Victoria the "townhouse capital" of Australia.
In a speech to the Melbourne Press Club on Thursday, the Labor premier announced an immediate review to make it easier to subdivide a block or build multiple houses - not just a granny flat - on the same block.
Faster 10-day subdivisions, planning permit exemptions or completely scrapping the permit requirement are among options to be considered.
All three will retain protection of trees, car parks and rules for flood and heritage overlays, and the review will report back to government within a matter of months.
"When we get the answers back in early-2025, we'll have a plan to make Victoria the townhouse capital," she said.
"That gives owners on big blocks an opportunity. That gives young Victorians an opportunity."
It was the fifth successive day of housing policies rolled out by the Allan government, which has been on the slide in recent polls, and the premier was clear about who she is trying to win over.
"I want to be the premier who gets millennials into homes, and I consider that to be the fight of my life," Ms Allan said.
She nominated suburban townhouses as the top choice for prospective buyers in their 30s, who want a few bedrooms, a backyard and a carport.
"It's the achievable dream for the modern millennial," she said.
"If you're an owner, it's also a good way to make a bit of money while you build someone else a home.
"I can't think of too many losers when it comes to townhouses, and I believe the community is ready to see more of them."
She said the ratio of house prices to the median wage has lifted from three-to-one to 10-to-one, equating to a $60,000 house on a $20,000 wage becoming a $800,000 house on an $80,000 wage
"For a 34-year-old today, the biggest, most vital and most inescapable financial decision of your life is four times harder than it was 40 years ago," she said.
"And it’s getting harder every year."
Ms Allan described millennials as the "main characters in our economy" but the housing crisis meant they were driving the country forward with one hand tied behind their backs.
"We're forcing them to make extraordinary sacrifices just to play the game of life, just to get on the board," she said.
"They are sacrificing more than money. They are sacrificing time. Time spent at work, or on their way to work, because they can only afford to live 40 kilometres away."
