Wiradjuri person Carolyn Ienna is one of just two remaining public housing tenants in the 17-unit block at Wentworth Park Road, Glebe, and they don鈥檛 want to be forced out. Ienna has lived in the 35-year-old housing commission block, near Blackwattle Bay, for 30 years.
Ienna and Action for Public Housing (APH) protested the New South聽Wales government鈥檚 Land and Housing Corporation鈥檚 plan on June 7.
Public housing activists laid out their arguments at a media conference about why they oppose the new Labor government鈥檚 plans to replace the block with private apartments.
APH spokesperson Rachel Evans said Labor should not adopt the former Coalition government鈥檚 policy.
鈥淎t least 120,000 people are homeless every night, yet [Premier Chris] Minns plans to demolish 82 Wentworth Park Road. Meanwhile, people sleep rough across the road.鈥
In opposition, Labor pledged聽to end the sell-off of public housing. 鈥淛ust months after being sworn in the minority government is breaking that promise in Glebe and Waterloo,鈥 Evans said.
Evans said the redevelopment plan for nearby Blackwattle Bay does not include any public housing.
Ienna said residents 鈥渉ave been bullied into leaving鈥. 鈥淭he government left homes vacant for months before the redevelopment was announced 鈥 We have loved living in this area but 鈥 we are being pushed out of our homes because other, wealthier, people want to live here.
鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 take much for the government to fix up our homes. Many apartments have new floors and paint, and fire safety upgrades were done two years ago. Structurally, the building is sound,鈥 they said.
Waterloo public housing activist Karyn Brown sent a support message urging Labor to 鈥渟top demolishing public housing, and build more instead鈥. She said: 鈥淩apacious developers will not deliver housing for the people; profit is their only aim.鈥
Ian Stephenson, from The Glebe Society and Hands Off Glebe, said the destruction and rebuilding of Wentworth Park Road was a 鈥渃omplete waste of money鈥.
鈥淚t is costing at least $22 million for that project, while it would cost only around $4 million to refit and refurbish this block.鈥
Antipoverty Centre co-coordinator聽Kristin聽O'Connell spoke about the crisis resulting from housing being treated as a commodity.聽鈥淲e are in this housing crisis because of privatisation.鈥
University of Sydney education officer Ishbel Dunsmore said student housing is in crisis and students cannot afford rental accommodation. 鈥淯niversity colleges and housing companies are private operations, totally over-priced, as well as [being] unsafe 鈥 especially for women.
鈥淭he onus is on the government to provide affordable housing for students and all who need it,鈥 Dunsmore said.
Later that day, activists occupied an apartment, adjacent to Ienna鈥檚. Evans told 麻豆传媒 the housing protesters received 鈥渉eaps of community support鈥.
The occupation鈥檚 demands are: No to the privatisation of 82 Wentworth Park Road and no demolition; and the empty dwellings be immediately offered to those on the public housing waiting list.
The Sydney City Council has still not approved the development application to demolish and rebuild Wentworth Park Road. Pressure is now mounting from the community for the council to block approval for this disastrous project.
The University of Sydney聽Student聽Representative Council passed a motion of support for聽the housing occupation on June 7.
Video:聽MUA Sydney branch organiser Shane Reside: 鈥淧ublic housing occupation is inspiring鈥.聽.
Video:聽Antipoverty Centre spokesperson: 鈥淲hy demolish public housing in a housing crisis?鈥澛.
Video:聽鈥淲e must continue the fight for public housing鈥.聽.
Video:聽Pride in Protest support housing occupation: 鈥淟GBTIQ people twice as likely to be homeless鈥.聽.
[An聽鈥淓nd the Housing Crisis鈥 rally is being held on June 17 at 1pm at Sydney Town Hall, hosted by .]