MEDIA RELEASE: Waterloo public housing tenants, unions and community speak out to demand a back down from demolition proposal
WHEN: Friday 25th August, 5-6.30pm
WHERE: Corner of Redfern Street and Regent Street, Redfern
RSVP via Facebook
Action for Public Housing is protesting the Minns Government’s decision to demolish 749 public homes in Waterloo. The announcement on Monday 21st August — by the Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson and Member for Heffron Ron Hoenig — contravenes NSW Labor’s pre-election commitment to save Waterloo and protect tenants’ homes from demolition.
Waterloo residents, unions, renters and community groups are standing together to defeat the plan.
Karyn Brown, Waterloo South resident and Action for Public Housing activist says, ‘“The destruction of our perfectly good homes is morally and environmentally unsound. They should be retained and refurbished to have the longest life possible. We have done away with disposable shopping bags, it is time we stopped seeing people's homes as disposable. In a housing crisis, we should not be demolishing perfectly good homes. We will stand up to the government and their developer mates.”
Alistair Sisson, Action for Public Housing and Macquarie School of Social Sciences researcher said, “the Minns Government has barely improved the plan for Waterloo South. They have made it 30% social housing, like the Coalition originally promised, and added a few hundred so-called affordable homes that could be rented out for just 20% less than market rates and sold after fifteen years. It does nothing for the 54,000 households on the waiting list who need public housing now -- not in ten years time when this project might finally have a positive effect. Those people will be waiting longer as a result of the Minns Government’s decision to go ahead with the redevelopment.”
Karyn Brown continued, “The government is trying to demolish public housing in Waterloo, South Eveleigh, Glebe and several other parts of Sydney and NSW. Housing tenants, renters, homelessness advocates and unions are resisting together. Join our campaign to solve the housing crisis, because everything the government is trying to do will make it worse.”.
Action for Public Housing are holding an action at Redfern Street and Regent Street with public housing tenants from Waterloo, Glebe and South Eveleigh, plus Paul Keating (MUA Sydney Branch Secretary), Timothy Blofield (NMWA Westmead Branch President), Jenny Leong (Greens Housing Spokesperson & Member for Newtown), Harrison Brennan (Sydney University SRC), Kristin O’Connell (Antipoverty Centre), Rachel Evans (Socialist Alliance), Andrew Chuter (Friends of Erskineville) and Gong Miller (Community Union Defence League).
Contacts:
Karyn Brown: 0432 409 711
Dr Alistair Sisson: 0407 738 537
actionforpublichousing@gmail.com