MEDIA RELEASE: END EVICTION PLANS OF OCCUPIERS IN EMPTY HOMES IN PINE STREET LISMORE AND MULLUMBIMBY

MEDIA RELEASE Friday 11 July 2025

The NSW ALP Chris Minns government threatens to evict formerly homeless people from the Northern Rivers after the NSW Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government last month.

The first date for the Court approved evictions is Friday July 25, 2025, whilst three other houses had an eviction date of July 10.

As we write, on Friday July 11, the government has not evicted tenants in three homes determined for brutal treatment by, what housing activists have coined, “Eviction and Demolition Minns’.

The people in the homes due to be evicted on Thursday July 10 are families - children and their guardians are due to be made homeless from three Lismore homes.

After the catastrophic flood in 2022, the NSW government bought homes damaged by the climate disaster, with the purpose of reducing risk to life, however the consequences of this is the exacerbation of the housing crisis.

The government body - the Reconstruction Authority (RA) - boarded up hundreds of houses, cutting off their services and fencing them off across town. Demolition was never raised, it was never stated as a plan from the government.

Lismore and the Northern Rivers faced a dire housing shortage, so formerly homeless people occupied some of the empty houses, fixing homes and creating a safe haven. In Pine Street, Lismore some of the formerly homeless people have lived in the street and community for over twelve months.

Andy, a spokesperson for Reclaim Our Recovery, Lismore said “on July 10, three occupied government buyback houses in Lismore - two of which are housing children and their guardians, are up for eviction by the NSW Reconstruction Authority. On Friday July 25 the Supreme Court writ of possession for a further 8 buyback homes will take effect. This includes one community space that is being occupied for social causes. We are expecting the sheriff and police to come in and enforce the order. Residents and community members are preparing to make a stand for the ongoing occupation of some of their houses and firmly against any unnecessary demolition.”

The occupiers are calling for the Minns government to desist from eviction and demolition plans, and for transparency from the NSW Reconstruction Authority, open communication with the occupants, and for the Reconstruction Authority to commit to use buyback houses for public housing.

Siobhan Patton, Action for Public Housing NSW said, “Evicting people in a housing crisis is criminal. Demolition of livable homes when we have 67,000 people on the waiting list is criminal. The NSW Housing department just came out with big news: they built 1,711 public and social homes, but they won’t tell us where they built them. “

We want the news that they're stopping their eviction and demolition plans for all the Northern Rivers homes and public housing tenants and estates in Glebe, Mascot, Maroubra, Kingsford, South Eveleigh and Waterloo. Minns has facilitated the eviction of all tenants from Selwyn St, Paddington Boarding Homes, has given 150 Waterloo South public housing residents eviction notices, door knocked eviction declarations to 45 Mascot public housing tenants. We are fast becoming an eviction state. When will this madness end?” concluded Patton.

Call Andy 0402 725 025
Call Siobhan 0448 231 312