NSW Labor’s first budget for over a decade purports to contain housing solutions but delivers little for the 62,000 people experiencing homelessness across the state, the 56,000 desperate people on the public housing waiting list, or people in NSW who are suffering from the shortage of 221,500 public homes.
Karyn Brown, Waterloo South public housing tenant and Action for Public Housing activist, said:
‘The budget contained a $2.2bn so-called ‘housing package’, but most of it will fund infrastructure projects, not build much needed public housing. Within the $2.2 bn package there is a $300 million funding into the state-owned property development organisation Landcom. This fund is only expecting to deliver 1,500 affordable homes over 15 years, or eighty homes every year, until 2040’.
‘Now, the government expects an additional $9.5 billion from stamp duty transfer fees and they’ve committed $998 million to the first home buyer program. Yet are offering this completely pathetic amount for 80 not-really-affordable homes every year till 2040? More money pumped into privatizing housing, not solving the crisis through building public housing’ .
Emily Valentine, Hands Off Glebe & Action for Public Housing activist and Glebe public housing tenant, said:
'there is nothing in this for public housing but the need is greatest for public housing, and public housing only. NSW Labor is denying its history and not supporting public housing like it should. Nurses, bus drivers, Uber drivers should be able to get public housing, not just the needy’.
Carolyn Ienna, Glebe public housing tenant recently forced to move out of 82 Wentworth Park Road, said:
‘This government promised us no privatization in the lead up to the state elections, yet are still selling off estates like Waterloo South and Explorer Street as well as demolishing my home at 82 Wentworth Park Road. I find it disgusting that they would lie to the public, media and public housing tenants.’
‘They give money to social and affordable housing but social housing is community housing -- not public. And so-called affordable housing is not really affordable, nor is it public housing. Demolishing public housing in order to move everybody over to community/ social housing which is run by private operators is a privatization scam. Many estates are still being sold off at this very moment and this is causing deaths, stress and hardship”.
‘The only way to fix the housing crisis is to build actual public housing, scrap social housing, accept that some of us will always rent, scrap negative gearing and tax the rich.’
Action for Public Housing is organising a National Housing Justice Summit on Sunday October 8 at Maritime Union Australia Sydney with Zach Smith (Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union National Secretary), Lilia Anderson (Australia Institute), MP Max Chandler-Mather (Greens), Paul McAleer (MUA Sydney) Carolyn Ienna, Emily Valentine, Karyn Brown, renters rights activists and more.
For comment contact:
Carolyn Ienna, (former) 82 Wentworth Park Road, Glebe housing tenant - 0415 362 793
Emily Valentine Hands Off Glebe, Franklin Street public housing tenant - 0424 234 448
Rachel Evans, Action for Public Housing and Housing Justice Summit organiser - 0403 517 266
Karyn Brown Waterloo housing tenant, Action for Public Housing - 0432409711