HOUSING Minister Wendy Lovell has blamed an increase in the state's public housing waiting list on the Gillard government's changes to the single-parenting payment.
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The number of households on the waiting list increased by 685 to more than 37,000 in the December 2012 quarter
''In recent months we have seen pressure on vulnerable families, especially single parents in private rental, due to the Commonwealth's cuts to their income support,'' Ms Lovell said.
''It is possible part of the increase in the waiting list is due to these single parents reassessing their situation and applying for public housing.''
Opposition housing spokesman Richard Wynne said the increase was caused by the Baillieu government's failure to invest in public housing.
''Housing Minister Wendy Lovell has shifted the deckchairs for two years, but without investing in public housing, waiting lists were always going to grow,'' he said.
Mr Wynne said the minister had tried to blame the increase on changes to the single-parent allowance ''despite these changes being implemented after the reporting period''.
But Ms Lovell said the 1.9 per cent increase in households on the waiting list followed a series of reductions over a year and was significantly lower than the September 2010 figure of more than 41,000 released by the former state government.
