Baird’s Privatisation of Public Housing labelled a disgrace!
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The ten year framework on public housing released today is a recipe for more disadvantage and more unaffordability in the housing market. The Hands off Glebe group a public housing advocate group situated in the suburb of Glebe but with links to many other groups across NSW condemns the outright theft of public property to aid the developer, the construction companies and NOT the people who need a home.
“Covered by smooth words and a few tidbits of genuine progressive ideas is the bare faced theft of the property of the people and bestowed on the rich, a move taken straight from the neo liberal manual of less government and socialism for the wealthy.” Said Denis Doherty of the Hands off Glebe group.
“The private sector cannot solve the housing crisis neither can ‘Housing providers’, the framework is a con designed to obscure theft and leave unaffordability a more entrenched problem for the years to come.
“Framework contains phrases such as ‘community housing providers would do a great job’, long on wishful thinking and low on reality. It is obvious that ‘community housing providers’ have to run on a profit to enable them to grow and maintain the maintenance costs. Like private hospitals, difficult clients and the most expensive are left to the public sector to fix while the best or most able to pay rent are taken by the private sector.
“$2 million on childcare is ‘chicken feed’ compared to the support services needed. $2 million would only build one or two childcare centres. The TAFE system has been run down so comprehensively by this Government yet it is expected to give damaged people the ability to lift themselves up by the bootlaces. Wishful thinking at best and at worst according the well-worn practice of past housing ministers in this liberal NSW Government weasel words. Shameful!
“‘Mix’ is another weasel word which in reality means nothing. Wherever private housing is next to social housing, the private owners team up to build a fence to make the separation real between them and those in social housing.
“Old stock contains some of the most important heritage cottages and architectural icons of the past century and the bulldozing of them will not please anyone let alone those among the population who value our urban heritage.
“The stock is in a shocking state we agree but we add that is because past State and Federal Governments have allowed the stock to deteriorate, the auditor General said two years ago that the present Government was $300 million behind in its maintenance tasks. Despite earning nearly $1 billion a month during the housing boom the Baird Government cynically refused to invest in public housing and maintenance. Instead they spent it or are spending it on ‘white elephants’ such as the ‘Westconnex’.
We call on the Baird Government to think again about public housing and its objectionable ‘ten year framework’ which will usher in an even more disadvantaged underclass in this state than we have at present!
We call on the Baird Government to first of all set about housing those on the waiting list, the homeless, and to invest in maintenance of the present stock of social housing. When this is nearing completion it will be time to think of a fair and just ten year scheme for public housing.
A British commentator speaking of the housing crisis in the UK made a comment that can equally be applied here: “We are in a housing crisis that extends from the homeless on the street well into the middle class. We have couples deciding not to have children because they do not have the space to house them. We have people paying extortionate rents, Yet ministers just sit there like gouty old men in the 19th hole.
Nick Cohen Spectator. (UK)
For more information: contact Denis Doherty 0418 290 663 or Julie Brackenreg 0401 516 482
Visit our website: www.glebegrapevine.org
Or our Facebook page: hands off glebe