The Picnic for Public Housing

Protest the privatisation of public land. Use public land for public housing! Provide housing for those who need it. Not for profit.

Build and extend public housing!

When: Sat Oct 26th
Where: cnr of Mallet St and Parramatta Rd
Time: 10 am—2pm

Program

10 am Start—painting a banner for the site fence.
12 noon – speeches by Kobi Shetty Local Member and others
1pm Installing the banner, streamers, and other festive items on the fence

Food and Drink Available

All welcome to send a protest for more urgency on housing from the NSW Government

Camperdown Site – cnr Parramatta Rd and Mallet St

We were shocked to hear that this site belonging to the NSW Government and acquired during the construction of Westconnex was sold a private developer.

Imagine in the middle of a housing crisis some valuable land comes up for use by the Government for public housing and they sell it.

The developer will be able to wait for house prices to rise before they will attempt to build anything meanwhile, the housing situation does not improve. We demand that the Government revisits this site and renegotiates an agreement that the owner builds within two years and the apartments built have a 50% public housing component.

South Waterloo plans disappoint

The area of Waterloo which comprises small walk-ups buildings between Raglan and McEvoy Streets is to be redeveloped to build 3,000 new homes. This seemingly welcome project does not live up to expectations.

The plan violates what we have been campaigning for that public land set aside and being used for public housing should never be privatised. The project means the stock gained will be turned over to private housing providers.

The plan to build a 50-50 split between private and social housing on land that is currently 100% public housing is not a step forward.

Building 100% public housing on land already owned and controlled by Housing NSW for public housing, with increased density would be a step forward.

Kevin Bell in his recent book expresses it this way: The human right to a decent home expresses a fundamental human need as a universal legal right that government is obliged to observe. In alienating land set aside for low income housing the current government is failing in its obligations.

The companies already engaged in the project Stockland, Link Wentworth Housing, and City West is a list which again indicates the tenor of what is proposed here. Link Wentworth and City Housing are so called community housing providers which is a name to disguise their privatising role. The message is clear with these names the stock of housing produced will be privatised social housing at the mercy of companies removed from government.

The NSW Labor Government is reluctant to expand public housing and is instead relying on the private sector which is more interested in profits than providing homes for the people of in NSW.

Old Fish Market Site

One site that has not had plans and contracts signed as far as we know is the old Fish Market Site. It is time that we lobbied hard for a proportion of that site to be devoted as low income housing rather than leaving housing for the merciless market to set prices.

We do know that the previous LNP considered that the old Fish Market land was going to be utilised to pay for the new Fish Market but the housing crisis is now so dominant that no government can ignore the needs of low income people and sell this property.

We know that the residential towers were going to be higher than the nearby ANZAC Bridge but this has been modified.

Action

Hands off Glebe has prepared a protest letter for the Minister on this site and we would ask you to sign it and send it to the minister or we might meet you at one of our street stalls and ask you to sign or you might write your own letter to the Minister, Rose Jackson.

Dear Minister,

Considering the housing situation in NSW we residents of Glebe and surrounding areas urge you put aside 50% of the housing projected for the old Fish Market Site for public housing. Currently, the NSW Government seems more intent on providing for private housing at the expense of the less well off. Housing is a human right. Public Housing is a social good, and an investment which is repaid over time by tenant rents.

Public Housing built by your Government now can be a major contribution to solving the housing crisis.

Artist view of the buildings planned for the old Fish Market Site. Plenty of Room for public housing! (Blackwattle Design Guidelines Dept of Planning Oct 2023 p113)

Local News

Sadie King Remembered

In a ceremony held at the Post Office corner on August 30, well known identity Sadie King was acknowledged at the plaque in her honour in the footpath. A procession to the ‘Have a Chat’ café led by a Scots piper ended the ceremony.

Sydney Streets—Glebe Point Rd

When: Saturday 12 October from 11am to 10pm Cost Free

Important Film for all

The Housing Question.

This film is part of the festival of urbanism

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Time:4:15 pm 5:15 pm

Chau Chak Wing Museum University Place Camperdown, NSW, 2050 Australia