An aged care facility in Melbourne's north east will be used to house 120 refugees from Iraq and Syria after Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne approved planning changes to allow the use of the facility.

Wynne fast-tracked the planning approval, which will be in place for two years, so newly-arrived refugees can be housed in the unused and refurbished Rundle House in the coming weeks. The refugees are mainly women and children. The government says there will be no displacement of existing tenants.

Rundle House is owned by St Vincent’s Care Services. Last year, St Vincent’s Health Australia mission group leader Jack de Groot announced that they would offer the aged-care facility as refugee housing.

"With the Federal Government’s announcement of 12,000 additional refugees being welcomed to Australia — and with both the Victorian Government and Opposition publicly flagging their support for housing a significant number of this intake in Victoria — SVHA has decided to make the renovated apartments available to refugees should they be needed,” de Groot told a local Eltham newspaper.

Planning approval was needed for the site as it came under a floodway zone, however the building has been in place for many years and Melbourne Water had no objections to the change.

Victoria expects to settle up to 4000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees as part of the Federal Government’s move to allow another 12,000 refugees into Australia.

Wynne said St Vincent’s Care Services are one of many community groups working to accommodate refugees, and the government appreciates their efforts.

"We’re making sure that people who have fled war-torn countries have access to the services they need to settle in Victoria, because we have a responsibility to help people in desperate need of a safe and peaceful home," said Wynne.

Member for Eltham Vicki Ward said Eltham community groups are ready and waiting to welcome refugees. “The broad support for refugees to come to Eltham will go a long way to helping people escaping horrendous conditions settle in to their new homes," said Ward.

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