Minister for Planning Pru Goward announced the NSW Government is embarking on developing a new vision for Sydney Harbour, with a new high level committee to bring together various stakeholders and provide much-needed coordination.
“Sydney’s harbour and foreshore is our city’s number one asset. We cannot rest on our laurels – the foreshore deserves a plan for the future,” Ms Goward said. “Ownership of property on Sydney Harbour’s foreshore is like a patchwork quilt. For years there has been no government body with clear responsibility for managing all the different interests, or developing a clear vision for the future.
“That is why a committee is being established to have over-arching responsibility for developing a vision for the foreshore, and bringing together all the agencies and entities which have an interest, for the benefit of every Sydneysider,” Ms Goward said.
The Committee will be made up of the heads of key Government agencies, and will be independently chaired by former long-term and respected senior public servant, Les Wielinga.
The Committee will work with the community and stakeholders to develop a strategic vision for the foreshore, including key precincts such as The Rocks, Circular Quay, Barangaroo and Millers Point.
The new high level Committee will be chaired by Mr Wielinga, and be comprised of the secretaries of various government departments. Mr Wielinga will report back to Government with his recommendations for the future of SHFA in 2015.
Mr Wielinga will also be leading the new vision for Sydney’s Harbour’s foreshore through his appointment as board chair of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA), which was originally established in 1998. He has been tasked with reviewing the functions of the organisation, and identifying any potential for reducing duplication of service delivery.
“One of the challenges of developing a new vision for the foreshore is the variety of property owners, and the level of duplication. It is imperative we move forward with the appropriate, expert agencies delivering services they are expert in providing,” Ms Goward said.
RESOURCED: http://sourceable.net/new-vision-sydneys-harbour/
29 Aug 2014
Saturday 30 August 2014
Friday 29 August 2014
New committee to develop the government's vision for Sydney's harbourfront
August 28, 2014 Leesha McKenny
| A new committee will develop some of Sydney's most valuable public harbourfront land, including The Rocks and Circular Quay |
Responsibility for the future of Sydney's harbour foreshore will be handed to a high-powered committee led by former transport mandarin Les Wielinga.
The multi-agency body will develop the government's "strategic vision" for the area extending from the Bays Precinct through to the Royal Botanic Gardens, including Barangaroo and Millers Point.
Mr Wielinga will also help determine the fate of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority as the new chairman of the agency that was established in 1998 and now controls more than $1 billion in public property in The Rocks, Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.
No deadline has been set for the committee to deliver its overarching plan for Sydney's foreshore, but Mr Wielinga will report back to the government with his recommendations for the future of SHFA next year.
This "review of the functions of the organisation" is a step back from scrapping SHFA outright, an option reportedly considered by cabinet earlier this month.
Planning Minister Pru Goward said the variety of property owners "and the level of duplication" was one of the challenges of developing a plan for the harbour and foreshore.
"Ownership of property on Sydney Harbour's foreshore is like a patchwork quilt," Ms Goward said. "For years there has been no government body with clear responsibility for managing all the different interests, or developing a clear vision for the future.
"That is why a committee is being established to have overarching responsibility for developing a vision for the foreshore and bringing together all the agencies and entities which have an interest, for the benefit of every Sydneysider."
The heads of the Department of Planning and Environment, Premier and Cabinet, Transport for NSW, Roads and Maritime Services, NSW Treasury, Trade and Investment and Government Property NSW will comprise the committee.
It will consult with the community and stakeholders, such as the City of Sydney.
The committee's formation follows major government decisions about Sydney's foreshore, including the sale of all public housing in Millers Point and the plan to open up 80 hectares of land in the Bays Precinct to development.
The opposition's planning spokesman Luke Foley expressed concern about the direction the government was taking, noting the future of the Bays Precinct was being led by the state's property development arm, UrbanGrowth.
"My concern is that the thrust of government policy concerning the Sydney harbour foreshore seems to be directed at development and commercialisation rather than developing the public realm," said Mr Foley, who added the master plan for the Royal Botanic Gardens included a "grotesque visitors' centre near the Man O'War Steps".
Greens planning spokesman David Shoebridge said the new committee added "just another complex layer" to Sydney's planning bodies.
"These ad hoc authorities and this ad hoc carving out of planning powers from the City of Sydney has produced an incoherent planning framework," Mr Shoebridge said
"The better solution rather than creating yet another body would be to return these areas back to the City of Sydney and have one respected planning authority for the whole area."
Resourced: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/new-committee-to-develop-the-governments-vision-for-sydneys-harbourfront-20140827-1093wf.html
The multi-agency body will develop the government's "strategic vision" for the area extending from the Bays Precinct through to the Royal Botanic Gardens, including Barangaroo and Millers Point.
Mr Wielinga will also help determine the fate of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority as the new chairman of the agency that was established in 1998 and now controls more than $1 billion in public property in The Rocks, Darling Harbour and Circular Quay.
| The new development at Barangaroo will also be part of the government vision. Photo: Dominic Lorrimer |
This "review of the functions of the organisation" is a step back from scrapping SHFA outright, an option reportedly considered by cabinet earlier this month.
Planning Minister Pru Goward said the variety of property owners "and the level of duplication" was one of the challenges of developing a plan for the harbour and foreshore.
"Ownership of property on Sydney Harbour's foreshore is like a patchwork quilt," Ms Goward said. "For years there has been no government body with clear responsibility for managing all the different interests, or developing a clear vision for the future.
"That is why a committee is being established to have overarching responsibility for developing a vision for the foreshore and bringing together all the agencies and entities which have an interest, for the benefit of every Sydneysider."
The heads of the Department of Planning and Environment, Premier and Cabinet, Transport for NSW, Roads and Maritime Services, NSW Treasury, Trade and Investment and Government Property NSW will comprise the committee.
It will consult with the community and stakeholders, such as the City of Sydney.
The committee's formation follows major government decisions about Sydney's foreshore, including the sale of all public housing in Millers Point and the plan to open up 80 hectares of land in the Bays Precinct to development.
The opposition's planning spokesman Luke Foley expressed concern about the direction the government was taking, noting the future of the Bays Precinct was being led by the state's property development arm, UrbanGrowth.
"My concern is that the thrust of government policy concerning the Sydney harbour foreshore seems to be directed at development and commercialisation rather than developing the public realm," said Mr Foley, who added the master plan for the Royal Botanic Gardens included a "grotesque visitors' centre near the Man O'War Steps".
Greens planning spokesman David Shoebridge said the new committee added "just another complex layer" to Sydney's planning bodies.
"These ad hoc authorities and this ad hoc carving out of planning powers from the City of Sydney has produced an incoherent planning framework," Mr Shoebridge said
"The better solution rather than creating yet another body would be to return these areas back to the City of Sydney and have one respected planning authority for the whole area."
Resourced: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/new-committee-to-develop-the-governments-vision-for-sydneys-harbourfront-20140827-1093wf.html
NSW opposition calls on Fair Trading to investigate sales of state-owned Millers Point homes
August 29, 2014
Opposition housing spokeswoman Sophie Cotsis has called on the NSW Department of Fair Trading to investigate the first two sales of state-owned property at Millers Point.
Ms Cotsis has formally written to Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe to demand an investigation after two terraces at Millers Point sold for significantly higher than the price guide provided to potential buyers.
"The NSW government must halt the sale of public housing properties in Millers Point and investigate the massive discrepancies between the advertised prices and the final sale prices for these properties," she said.
The first state-owned property to be sold, at 119 Kent Street, went for $1,911,000 at auction. The initial price guide of more than $1 million was revised to more than $1.3 million before the auction.
Another state-owned property, at 29 Lower Fort Street, stunned onlookers when it sold on Tuesday for $2.56 million. The price guide on the day of the auction was quoted as between $1.5 million and $1.6 million.
The state government has refused to disclose what the reserve was for the first two auctions.
Ms Cotsis also criticised the private nature of the auction campaigns.
"When I tried to inspect the first auction, I was denied entry, even though these are public assets," she said.
"The NSW Liberals are holding these auctions in secret, which raises concerns that taxpayers may not be getting the proper value of these assets."
Millers Point: a community under the hammer
A real estate agent who has been closely watching the sales has suggested that the first property at 119 Kent Street was "under sold".
"I believe that one should have gone for between $2.5 million and $2.7 million," Edwin Almeida from Just Think Real Estate said.
"The young man who bought it has just won himself the lottery at $1,911,000."
A representative of Fair Trading said "we treat any evidence of underquoting seriously".
"NSW Fair Trading has received a letter from Ms Cotsis this afternoon regarding public housing sales in Millers Point and we are looking into her request."
RESOURCED: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/nsw-opposition-calls-on-fair-trading-to-investigate-sales-of-stateowned-millers-point-homes-20140828-109jpc.html
| This house at 29 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point, had a price guide of $1.5 million-$1.6 million. It sold on Tuesday for $2.56 million. |
Ms Cotsis has formally written to Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe to demand an investigation after two terraces at Millers Point sold for significantly higher than the price guide provided to potential buyers.
"The NSW government must halt the sale of public housing properties in Millers Point and investigate the massive discrepancies between the advertised prices and the final sale prices for these properties," she said.
| This house at 119 Kent Street, Millers Point, had a price guide of more than $1.3 million. It sold last week for $1,911,000. |
The first state-owned property to be sold, at 119 Kent Street, went for $1,911,000 at auction. The initial price guide of more than $1 million was revised to more than $1.3 million before the auction.
Another state-owned property, at 29 Lower Fort Street, stunned onlookers when it sold on Tuesday for $2.56 million. The price guide on the day of the auction was quoted as between $1.5 million and $1.6 million.
The state government has refused to disclose what the reserve was for the first two auctions.
Ms Cotsis also criticised the private nature of the auction campaigns.
"When I tried to inspect the first auction, I was denied entry, even though these are public assets," she said.
"The NSW Liberals are holding these auctions in secret, which raises concerns that taxpayers may not be getting the proper value of these assets."
| Millers Point: a community under the hammer |
A real estate agent who has been closely watching the sales has suggested that the first property at 119 Kent Street was "under sold".
"I believe that one should have gone for between $2.5 million and $2.7 million," Edwin Almeida from Just Think Real Estate said.
"The young man who bought it has just won himself the lottery at $1,911,000."
A representative of Fair Trading said "we treat any evidence of underquoting seriously".
"NSW Fair Trading has received a letter from Ms Cotsis this afternoon regarding public housing sales in Millers Point and we are looking into her request."
RESOURCED: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/nsw-opposition-calls-on-fair-trading-to-investigate-sales-of-stateowned-millers-point-homes-20140828-109jpc.html
Thursday 28 August 2014
Millers Point: three new homes for every property sold?
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Last night a second government owned property in Millers Point was sold. Family and Social Services Minister Gabrielle Upton reports it sold for $2.56 million. This follows the first property sale price of $1.911million.
Minister Upton says for each property sold in Millers Point, the government's public housing portfolio could be increased by three. But not so long ago the Secretary of FACS said the current State Budget would deliver a 'line-ball' increase in social housing supply this financial year.
More recently, the Minister herself told the Budget Estimates committee (see page 5 of the transcript) that for every million dollars her department spends on its housing portfolio, only $190,000 – 19 per cent – goes towards new housing. Of the rest, $340,000 is used for 'improvements' (for example, kitchen upgrades), and $470,000 goes to repairs and maintenance.
Now, we're all for spending money on overdue repairs and maintenance of the government's housing portfolio, but it's a bit rich to sell other people's homes in order to pay for it. Especially when much-needed growth of the portfolio is implied, to justify the sales.
On the basis of Minister's Estimates statement, let's see what we might be able to do with the $4.471 million raised so far. Within the confines of the Budget, of course...
First things first, we'll have to put about $1.52million aside for 'improvements', and a further $2.1 million aside for repairs and maintenance. This leaves us with just under $850,000 to tip into the 'new housing' bucket.
$800,000 will get you a pretty swish flat in Sydney, leaving change for stamp duties, legal costs and perhaps even some champagne to celebrate.
Or, if you wanted to replace the two Millers Point properties with a pair of dwellings, you can get a nice little studio in the same complex...
... a spacious walk up in Parramatta...
... or a respectable family home in Campbelltown, for around $400,000.
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Of course, if you wanted to replace the two Millers Point properties with six homes in Sydney, you'd be hard pressed to do it. You'd be looking at around $140,000 per home. A quick look at the real estate pages tell us you can still find homes at such low, low prices, but nowhere near Sydney. You'd have to look in places like Deniliquin, South Grafton, Dubbo, Jindabyne, Albury and Orange.
Which leaves us with two possible conclusions to ponder: either the money will be used to buy houses in regional NSW, or more of our existing metropolitan public housing will be demolished so that we can 'replace' the Millers Point homes on land already owned by the NSW Government.
Help us keep track of what's happening with public housing sales and estate redevelopment. Check out our Clearing House blog for more information.
Last night a second government owned property in Millers Point was sold. Family and Social Services Minister Gabrielle Upton reports it sold for $2.56 million. This follows the first property sale price of $1.911million.
More recently, the Minister herself told the Budget Estimates committee (see page 5 of the transcript) that for every million dollars her department spends on its housing portfolio, only $190,000 – 19 per cent – goes towards new housing. Of the rest, $340,000 is used for 'improvements' (for example, kitchen upgrades), and $470,000 goes to repairs and maintenance.
Now, we're all for spending money on overdue repairs and maintenance of the government's housing portfolio, but it's a bit rich to sell other people's homes in order to pay for it. Especially when much-needed growth of the portfolio is implied, to justify the sales.
On the basis of Minister's Estimates statement, let's see what we might be able to do with the $4.471 million raised so far. Within the confines of the Budget, of course...
First things first, we'll have to put about $1.52million aside for 'improvements', and a further $2.1 million aside for repairs and maintenance. This leaves us with just under $850,000 to tip into the 'new housing' bucket.
$800,000 will get you a pretty swish flat in Sydney, leaving change for stamp duties, legal costs and perhaps even some champagne to celebrate.
Or, if you wanted to replace the two Millers Point properties with a pair of dwellings, you can get a nice little studio in the same complex...
Cunningham St Sydney - from www.realestate.com.au
... a spacious walk up in Parramatta...
... or a respectable family home in Campbelltown, for around $400,000.
Of course, if you wanted to replace the two Millers Point properties with six homes in Sydney, you'd be hard pressed to do it. You'd be looking at around $140,000 per home. A quick look at the real estate pages tell us you can still find homes at such low, low prices, but nowhere near Sydney. You'd have to look in places like Deniliquin, South Grafton, Dubbo, Jindabyne, Albury and Orange.
Which leaves us with two possible conclusions to ponder: either the money will be used to buy houses in regional NSW, or more of our existing metropolitan public housing will be demolished so that we can 'replace' the Millers Point homes on land already owned by the NSW Government.
Help us keep track of what's happening with public housing sales and estate redevelopment. Check out our Clearing House blog for more information.
Government left red-faced after Millers Point sale
August 27, 2014 Toby Johnstone
Buyers were expecting the rundown terrace to sell for between $1.5 million and $1.6 million. They were off by $1 million.
The state government has been left red-faced after the first two houses to be auctioned at Millers Point sold for significantly higher than the price guides provided to buyers.
Onlookers were stunned at the Tuesday night auction of 29 Lower Fort Street when the derelict terrace sold for $2.56 million. The price guide earlier in the day was between $1.5 million and $1.6 million.
Last week the first state-owned terrace to be sold at 119 Kent Street, Millers Point, went for $1.9 million. The initial price guide of $1 million had been revised to more than $1.3 million ahead of the auction by Peter Starr from McGrath.
"We had to work with what little comparables we had and rely on the market to tell us the figures," he said.
"We spoke to 60-plus people ... the highest number we were hearing was the price guide."
Edwin Almeida from Just Think Real Estate has been following the first two sales closely. He said when a property sold for 10-15 per cent over the price guide it was typically a case of buyers getting carried away.
"But when you are talking 90 to 100 per cent over the price guide, you have to raise questions," he said.
In the aftermath of Tuesday's staggering result, Minister for Finance and Services Dominic Perrottet distanced himself from the price guides given to buyers.
"The price guides for properties at Millers Point are determined by the real estate agent based on market feedback," he said. "This process is independent of the NSW government."
Millers Point: a community under the hammer
Although the state government does not set the price guide, as vendor they do set the reserve.
The state government refused to disclose the reserve price. The government also declined to share information about the initial independent valuation of the property.
Buyer's agent Patrick Bright said: "We don't know if it's underquoting or not because we don't know what the reserve was.
"Given that auctions are meant to be a transparent way to sell property, why all the secrecy around all of this? Why not just share the information?"
When a spokesperson for the Department of Fair Trading was asked whether a house sale that is $1 million above the price guide was something the department would look into, they replied: "A gap between the initial advertised price and the final sale price is not necessarily proof of underquoting."
But the spokesperson went on to say that an example of underquoting is "when a property is promoted at a price that is less than the seller's asking price or auction reserve price".
In any property transaction, disclosing the reserve is at the discretion of the vendor.
Mr Perrottet said he welcomed the strong result "as the proceeds of these sales will be invested back into social housing to assist the 58,000 people currently on the waiting list".
RESOURCED: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/government-left-redfaced-after-millers-point-sale-20140827-108xu9.html
Buyers were expecting the rundown terrace to sell for between $1.5 million and $1.6 million. They were off by $1 million.
| This house at 29 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point, had a price guide of $1.5 million -$1.6 million. It sold for $2.56 million. |
Onlookers were stunned at the Tuesday night auction of 29 Lower Fort Street when the derelict terrace sold for $2.56 million. The price guide earlier in the day was between $1.5 million and $1.6 million.
Last week the first state-owned terrace to be sold at 119 Kent Street, Millers Point, went for $1.9 million. The initial price guide of $1 million had been revised to more than $1.3 million ahead of the auction by Peter Starr from McGrath.
| This house at 119 Kent Street, Millers Point, had a price guide of more than $1.3 million. It sold for $1,911,000 |
The selling agent on Tuesday night, Rohan Aalders from Di Jones, cited a lack of comparable sales in Millers Point.
"We spoke to 60-plus people ... the highest number we were hearing was the price guide."
Edwin Almeida from Just Think Real Estate has been following the first two sales closely. He said when a property sold for 10-15 per cent over the price guide it was typically a case of buyers getting carried away.
"But when you are talking 90 to 100 per cent over the price guide, you have to raise questions," he said.
In the aftermath of Tuesday's staggering result, Minister for Finance and Services Dominic Perrottet distanced himself from the price guides given to buyers.
"The price guides for properties at Millers Point are determined by the real estate agent based on market feedback," he said. "This process is independent of the NSW government."
Although the state government does not set the price guide, as vendor they do set the reserve.
The state government refused to disclose the reserve price. The government also declined to share information about the initial independent valuation of the property.
Buyer's agent Patrick Bright said: "We don't know if it's underquoting or not because we don't know what the reserve was.
"Given that auctions are meant to be a transparent way to sell property, why all the secrecy around all of this? Why not just share the information?"
When a spokesperson for the Department of Fair Trading was asked whether a house sale that is $1 million above the price guide was something the department would look into, they replied: "A gap between the initial advertised price and the final sale price is not necessarily proof of underquoting."
But the spokesperson went on to say that an example of underquoting is "when a property is promoted at a price that is less than the seller's asking price or auction reserve price".
In any property transaction, disclosing the reserve is at the discretion of the vendor.
Mr Perrottet said he welcomed the strong result "as the proceeds of these sales will be invested back into social housing to assist the 58,000 people currently on the waiting list".
RESOURCED: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/government-left-redfaced-after-millers-point-sale-20140827-108xu9.html
Millers Point sales shock investors
Millers Point sales shock investors
Millers Point: Prized harbourside land is being sold to investors. Buyers were expecting a rundown terrace for sale at Millers Point to sell for around $1.5 million. It sold for a staggering $2.6 million.
Stuart Bocking asks Minister for Family & Community Services Gabrielle Upton if she can guarantee that the proceeds from the sale of the Millers Point households will be put back into public housing?
Resourced: http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/millers-point-sales-shock-investors/20140828-3egn1.html
Resourced: http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/millers-point-sales-shock-investors/20140828-3egn1.html
This was the home for 6 people working in the city up until the last tennant died 4 years ago. all it ever needed was a coat of paint and the gutters cleaned outand repaired to be livable again. what alot of wasted rent over the past 4 years
Millers Point: Prized harbourside land is being sold to investors. Buyers were expecting a rundown terrace for sale at Millers Point to sell for around $1.5 million. It sold for a staggering $2.6 million.
Stuart Bocking asks Minister for Family & Community Services Gabrielle Upton if she can guarantee that the proceeds from the sale of the Millers Point households will be put back into public housing?
Resourced: http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/millers-point-sales-shock-investors/20140828-3egn1.html
Resourced: http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/millers-point-sales-shock-investors/20140828-3egn1.html
This was the home for 6 people working in the city up until the last tennant died 4 years ago. all it ever needed was a coat of paint and the gutters cleaned outand repaired to be livable again. what alot of wasted rent over the past 4 years
peter Tuesday 2 September, 2014 - 9:50 PM
This minister has yet to meet with the residents on Millers Point personally even after continuous requests. Sales at Millers Point without the 2 recent sales has already earned the government over $42 million. Where are all the new properties they have acquired with these funds? Where is all the new housing stock they have acquired with monies made from other sales of housing stock across the country? Housing have sold twice as many properties as they have actually acquired in the last 12mths alone. There are many many empty properties dotted around the country that could be used to accommodate ppl on the waiting list but are left to sit empty. What is the point of properties sitting empty, in some cases for years on end? Why move the residents from Millers Point before selling all the empty properties first? If they have 300 empty properties to relocate the residents of Millers Point to, why have these properties not been allocated to ppl who have been on the waiting list for years??? So many more questions need to be asked by the public who as you say, own these properties. Also where is all the money Mr Packer paid for the prime real estate at Barangaroo? Where has that been reinvested?
Cindy Friday 29 August, 2014 - 7:53 AM
Wednesday 27 August 2014
ELDERLY, MILLER’S POINT, NSW GOVERNMENT
Published on Aug 18, 2014
On ‘Killing Us This Week’ we look at the dangers of relocating poor elderly people from public housing. Thankfully old people are well known to love change, moving and new things.
#RoastTv The Roast airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ABC2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK71RiAWeRY&feature=youtu.be
http://savemillerspoint.blogspot.com.au/p/httpwww.html
REDWatch Analysis on Millers Point
On ‘Killing Us This Week’ we look at the dangers of relocating poor elderly people from public housing. Thankfully old people are well known to love change, moving and new things.
#RoastTv The Roast airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ABC2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK71RiAWeRY&feature=youtu.be
http://savemillerspoint.blogspot.com.au/p/httpwww.html
REDWatch Analysis on Millers Point
REDWatch has kept its members and supporters up to date through its email lists. Below we have drawn some of the material from these emails to provide an overview for a wider grouping of REDWatch's concerns.
A summary of some of the issues arising from the Millers Point announcement:
Social Impact Assessment - LAHC undertook that the Social Impact Assessment would be shown to tenants before any decisions were made. The Millers Point Social Impact Assessment was released after the announcement along with the Government response Government response to Millers Point SIA. LAHC have a long history of convincing communities that this time it will be different and they will keep their word! LAHC has a fundamental conflict and should not have carriage of community engagement with their own tenants around redevelopment issues.
The Government response – this document is a worry. For example the LAHC in Redfern argued under social mix for affordable housing in the redevelopment mix but in the response on Millers Point under Goward they are saying they have no interest in affordable or aged housing. The response is quite short and should be read by anyone wanting to understand why the Social Impact recommendations have not been acted upon – see also O'Farrell government ignored consultants' advice on plan to sell public housing at Millers Points and Battle for lost when Goward took control.
Heritage and Maintenance - There is an ongoing issue that if LAHC do not do in time maintenance then problems grow and cost much more especially in heritage properties. There is an element also that tenants believe that a number of things that LAHC said needed to be done were excessive and there to expand the cost of bring houses to standard. Heritage houses are also expensive to maintain but not everything disposed of will be heritage properties. Interesting the heritage listing for Millers Point includes the people that live there and this avenue of appeal is being considered.
Sirius building - This building does not have maintenance issues and no one expected it to be sold off as not being suitable. It is ideal for aging in place. Its problem is that it sits on very expensive real estate. The introduction of the principle that public housing should not be in an area where there is strong market demand is worrying. On this basis much of the public housing in the inner-city, eastern suburbs and the north shore could be sold because it could build a greater number of units of housing in a less desirable place (and in most likelihood far from services, hospitals, public transport etc that makes locations desirable!)
The Public Housing Black hole – with LAHC selling off 2.5 housing units a day over the last ten years to pay the bills then it is highly unlikely that the sales will translate into new housing. It is most likely to go the way of previous sales where it contributes to a net reduction of housing stock and pays the bills for running the system. This funding will only go to new housing if there is another source to cover the operating deficit and the maintenance black hole.
The Millers point Media Pack – It has become apparent that the Government had a highly orchestrated approach to the announcement through the use of the Millers Point Announcement Media Pack. LAHC included in the media pack a number of case studies on their perspective on maintenance issues in Millers Point. The document indicates that particular properties were arranged to be specifically opened up for the media to provide footage / visual support for the LAHC case. The document also has a section on relocations which highlights some of LAHC newer properties and case studies of people who have been previously relocated out of the Millers Point area to such lovely places is highlighted. Of particular concern is a section on how much “Subsidy” (my inverted commas not LAHCs) tenants in Millers Point were provided. This included the case study in which it was argued a mother and son received a subsidy of $528,000. You can see the Tenants Union response to this at The truth about 'subsidies' at Millers Point and The Rocks, including TU raising concerns about the privacy of people used in the case studies. The subsidies are shown for other low income areas to highlight the LAHC argument. What is not shown is what the “subsidy”, LAHC say they are paying to other Inner City public housing tenants who like those in Millers Point LAHC would consider to be highly subsidised. This was a well-orchestrated media campaign. It makes you wonder if LAHC was to roll this out into other inner city areas what might be said about the subsidies in Redfern, Waterloo, Surry Hills or Woolloomooloo and what case studies might be told about people in our communities!
Spreading Myths about Public Housing – Government conveniently forgets that the people in public housing are there because they put them there under a range of different arrangements. Some people that are there were there because they have been workers and paid full rent all the time they were working and are now retired, others are there because they are young and with the multiple issues needed to qualify for access to public housing, others in the case of Millers Point were transferred from Maritime Services Board housing. Some of the material in the media kit and said by the Minister strengthens negative stereotypes about public tenants and plays to peoples ignorance of what public housing is and how it works.
It will take longer to get off the housing waiting list – The tenants to be moved out of Millers Point will be given priority in allocations. The impact will be that 400 people that would have been housed off the waiting list will now not be housed in the next two years because those houses will go to people already in public housing and until the promised houses are built there will be 300 less public housing units for those on the waiting list to get into.
Community and support networks – public tenants like everyone else take time to put down roots and to develop their community support groups. If you have little mobility and have been in an area a long time that is where your support network is. The announcement that everyone would be moved out was not just about the loss of your home but also about the loss of your friendship and support network – the loss of your community. As public tenants made up such a large proportion of the area it is also about the wholesale change of the areas character – a bit like the neutron bomb of the late 1970’s removing all the existing community but leaving the property intact to be occupied by the newcomers.
Solidarity and Campaigning – The announcement marks the first time Government has sold off all the public housing stock in a suburb and argued that housing is in too good an area for public housing. There is a need to support those impacted in Millers Point but also for the community to take up the broader issue so other inner city areas do not get denuded of public housing because it is in too great of demand for private housing. How NGOs and communities respond to this challenge will determine the future of public housing in the Inner City and the NSW more generally. Support for Millers Point tenants was considered crucial at a REDWatch roundtable in April 2013 which examined the implications of the decision for other inner city public housing.
Join the Discussion and address the myths - it is also crucial for people who are supportive of public housing to be involved in the wider media and community discussion about the need for continued public housing in the inner city. There is a need to help the wider community understand how public housing works and who is in public housing given the stereotypes being played to by the Minister. For example does the community understand that the majority of people in public housing are aged pensioners who are not expected to get a job and move out of public housing. Does the wider community understand that when many of these people came into public housing it was intended for those that also worked and that many of the current aged have paid substantial rents during this time.
What others are doing
Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development has announced they will employ Joel Pringle to do some work to assist those working in Millers Point over the next few weeks. In the process of doing this ISRCSD will be asking Joel to make recommendations about what ongoing role ISRCSD and other organisations can play in Millers Point and on its broader implications for inner city public housing. It is proposed Joel will work alongside other groups in the area with minimal duplication. ISRCSD grew out of the campaigns in Redfern Waterloo led by Marg Barry to stop the destruction of that community by the Department of Housing. ISRCSD are now a regional agency covering the LGAs of Sydney Leichhardt Botany and the Eastern Suburbs. Their projects service tenant groups (David Whites TPRS role), Aged and disability Services (HACC), residents groups, community centres and human services interagencies.
Joel has experience in working with public housing tenants when working on the Working From the Ground Up project for Sydney University in South Maroubra and Matraville. He has recently worked for ACOSS and as Campaign Manager for Australians for Affordable Housing. He has worked in some community activities in the inner city where he has been spokesperson for the Lift Redfern Campaign, Chair of the Settlement Neighbourhood Centre and been on the ISRCSD Board.
Further Reading
REDWatch has put some of the key Millers Point documents on its website under Millers Point - ridding expensive suburbs of Public Housing. Shelter NSW have produced a newsletter insert Around the House No.96 - Millers Point supplement and the Tenants Union Blog has also covered the issues especially at The truth about 'subsidies' at Millers Point and The Rocks. You will also find out about media stories on social media at www.facebook.com/millerspointsaveourhomes.
The latest issue of the South Sydney Herald ran a number of articles on issues related to Millers Point that may be of interest on the issues:
http://www.redwatch.org.au/issues/public-housing/millers/140331redw
Millers Point is a community worth fighting for
... continue reading:
http://www.allnewsau.com/news/comment-millers-point-is-community-worth-fighting-for
http://www.allnewsau.com/term/Millers%20Point
A summary of some of the issues arising from the Millers Point announcement:
Social Impact Assessment - LAHC undertook that the Social Impact Assessment would be shown to tenants before any decisions were made. The Millers Point Social Impact Assessment was released after the announcement along with the Government response Government response to Millers Point SIA. LAHC have a long history of convincing communities that this time it will be different and they will keep their word! LAHC has a fundamental conflict and should not have carriage of community engagement with their own tenants around redevelopment issues.
The Government response – this document is a worry. For example the LAHC in Redfern argued under social mix for affordable housing in the redevelopment mix but in the response on Millers Point under Goward they are saying they have no interest in affordable or aged housing. The response is quite short and should be read by anyone wanting to understand why the Social Impact recommendations have not been acted upon – see also O'Farrell government ignored consultants' advice on plan to sell public housing at Millers Points and Battle for lost when Goward took control.
Heritage and Maintenance - There is an ongoing issue that if LAHC do not do in time maintenance then problems grow and cost much more especially in heritage properties. There is an element also that tenants believe that a number of things that LAHC said needed to be done were excessive and there to expand the cost of bring houses to standard. Heritage houses are also expensive to maintain but not everything disposed of will be heritage properties. Interesting the heritage listing for Millers Point includes the people that live there and this avenue of appeal is being considered.
Sirius building - This building does not have maintenance issues and no one expected it to be sold off as not being suitable. It is ideal for aging in place. Its problem is that it sits on very expensive real estate. The introduction of the principle that public housing should not be in an area where there is strong market demand is worrying. On this basis much of the public housing in the inner-city, eastern suburbs and the north shore could be sold because it could build a greater number of units of housing in a less desirable place (and in most likelihood far from services, hospitals, public transport etc that makes locations desirable!)
The Public Housing Black hole – with LAHC selling off 2.5 housing units a day over the last ten years to pay the bills then it is highly unlikely that the sales will translate into new housing. It is most likely to go the way of previous sales where it contributes to a net reduction of housing stock and pays the bills for running the system. This funding will only go to new housing if there is another source to cover the operating deficit and the maintenance black hole.
The Millers point Media Pack – It has become apparent that the Government had a highly orchestrated approach to the announcement through the use of the Millers Point Announcement Media Pack. LAHC included in the media pack a number of case studies on their perspective on maintenance issues in Millers Point. The document indicates that particular properties were arranged to be specifically opened up for the media to provide footage / visual support for the LAHC case. The document also has a section on relocations which highlights some of LAHC newer properties and case studies of people who have been previously relocated out of the Millers Point area to such lovely places is highlighted. Of particular concern is a section on how much “Subsidy” (my inverted commas not LAHCs) tenants in Millers Point were provided. This included the case study in which it was argued a mother and son received a subsidy of $528,000. You can see the Tenants Union response to this at The truth about 'subsidies' at Millers Point and The Rocks, including TU raising concerns about the privacy of people used in the case studies. The subsidies are shown for other low income areas to highlight the LAHC argument. What is not shown is what the “subsidy”, LAHC say they are paying to other Inner City public housing tenants who like those in Millers Point LAHC would consider to be highly subsidised. This was a well-orchestrated media campaign. It makes you wonder if LAHC was to roll this out into other inner city areas what might be said about the subsidies in Redfern, Waterloo, Surry Hills or Woolloomooloo and what case studies might be told about people in our communities!
Spreading Myths about Public Housing – Government conveniently forgets that the people in public housing are there because they put them there under a range of different arrangements. Some people that are there were there because they have been workers and paid full rent all the time they were working and are now retired, others are there because they are young and with the multiple issues needed to qualify for access to public housing, others in the case of Millers Point were transferred from Maritime Services Board housing. Some of the material in the media kit and said by the Minister strengthens negative stereotypes about public tenants and plays to peoples ignorance of what public housing is and how it works.
It will take longer to get off the housing waiting list – The tenants to be moved out of Millers Point will be given priority in allocations. The impact will be that 400 people that would have been housed off the waiting list will now not be housed in the next two years because those houses will go to people already in public housing and until the promised houses are built there will be 300 less public housing units for those on the waiting list to get into.
Community and support networks – public tenants like everyone else take time to put down roots and to develop their community support groups. If you have little mobility and have been in an area a long time that is where your support network is. The announcement that everyone would be moved out was not just about the loss of your home but also about the loss of your friendship and support network – the loss of your community. As public tenants made up such a large proportion of the area it is also about the wholesale change of the areas character – a bit like the neutron bomb of the late 1970’s removing all the existing community but leaving the property intact to be occupied by the newcomers.
Solidarity and Campaigning – The announcement marks the first time Government has sold off all the public housing stock in a suburb and argued that housing is in too good an area for public housing. There is a need to support those impacted in Millers Point but also for the community to take up the broader issue so other inner city areas do not get denuded of public housing because it is in too great of demand for private housing. How NGOs and communities respond to this challenge will determine the future of public housing in the Inner City and the NSW more generally. Support for Millers Point tenants was considered crucial at a REDWatch roundtable in April 2013 which examined the implications of the decision for other inner city public housing.
Join the Discussion and address the myths - it is also crucial for people who are supportive of public housing to be involved in the wider media and community discussion about the need for continued public housing in the inner city. There is a need to help the wider community understand how public housing works and who is in public housing given the stereotypes being played to by the Minister. For example does the community understand that the majority of people in public housing are aged pensioners who are not expected to get a job and move out of public housing. Does the wider community understand that when many of these people came into public housing it was intended for those that also worked and that many of the current aged have paid substantial rents during this time.
What others are doing
Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development has announced they will employ Joel Pringle to do some work to assist those working in Millers Point over the next few weeks. In the process of doing this ISRCSD will be asking Joel to make recommendations about what ongoing role ISRCSD and other organisations can play in Millers Point and on its broader implications for inner city public housing. It is proposed Joel will work alongside other groups in the area with minimal duplication. ISRCSD grew out of the campaigns in Redfern Waterloo led by Marg Barry to stop the destruction of that community by the Department of Housing. ISRCSD are now a regional agency covering the LGAs of Sydney Leichhardt Botany and the Eastern Suburbs. Their projects service tenant groups (David Whites TPRS role), Aged and disability Services (HACC), residents groups, community centres and human services interagencies.
Joel has experience in working with public housing tenants when working on the Working From the Ground Up project for Sydney University in South Maroubra and Matraville. He has recently worked for ACOSS and as Campaign Manager for Australians for Affordable Housing. He has worked in some community activities in the inner city where he has been spokesperson for the Lift Redfern Campaign, Chair of the Settlement Neighbourhood Centre and been on the ISRCSD Board.
Further Reading
REDWatch has put some of the key Millers Point documents on its website under Millers Point - ridding expensive suburbs of Public Housing. Shelter NSW have produced a newsletter insert Around the House No.96 - Millers Point supplement and the Tenants Union Blog has also covered the issues especially at The truth about 'subsidies' at Millers Point and The Rocks. You will also find out about media stories on social media at www.facebook.com/millerspointsaveourhomes.
The latest issue of the South Sydney Herald ran a number of articles on issues related to Millers Point that may be of interest on the issues:
- Why is this happening? State government neighbourhood sell-off
- Hollow men and hollow words
- Managed media
- Sydney needs more affordable housing
- March for maintenance – voicing concerns of public housing tenants
http://www.redwatch.org.au/issues/public-housing/millers/140331redw
Millers Point is a community worth fighting for
It is now three weeks since the NSW Government announced plans to sell off the Millers Point community, kicking out the low-income, elderly, vulnerable, and hardworking people who have looked after this suburb for decades.
It is important to correct the government’s spin aimed at misleading the public. Media outlets were shown a few terraces that are deemed ‘too good’ for public housing tenants but the reality is that many of the Millers Point properties to be sold are low key and small walk-up units, without a view apart from a very noisy and dusty construction site at Barangaroo.
The ‘massive subsidies’ the government alleges tenants receive are nothing more than accounting entries based on the difference between the ‘market rent’ that someone made up and the rent the tenants pay.
In fact, according to the Tenants Union, Millers Point tenants have paid around $4.25 million in rent over the past two years alone. Many have been making their own repairs and fixing up their homes, because the government has neglected them pretty much since the Maritime Services Board gave the homes to the then Housing Commission to be used for low cost housing.
... continue reading:
http://www.allnewsau.com/news/comment-millers-point-is-community-worth-fighting-for
http://www.allnewsau.com/term/Millers%20Point
http://www.newzulu.com.au/en/photos/australia/2014-08-26/6589/sydney-millers-point-locals-protest-second.html#f=0/64915
Sydney: Millers Point locals protest second public housing auction
Sydney protesters rally against a sell-off of Millers Point public housing during the private auction of a second state-owned property in Woollahra, Sydney on August 26, 2014.
The sale of the house at 29 Lower Fort Street for $2.56 million follows another private auction last Thursday, during which a terrace house at 119 Kent Street sold for $1.9 million. Members of the Millers Point community, many of which are aged 60 or over, believe the suburb is 'ground zero' for the forced eviction and relocation of public housing tenants by the state government.
Woollahra, Australia - 26 August 2014
Sydney: Millers Point locals protest second public housing auction
Sydney protesters rally against a sell-off of Millers Point public housing during the private auction of a second state-owned property in Woollahra, Sydney on August 26, 2014.
The sale of the house at 29 Lower Fort Street for $2.56 million follows another private auction last Thursday, during which a terrace house at 119 Kent Street sold for $1.9 million. Members of the Millers Point community, many of which are aged 60 or over, believe the suburb is 'ground zero' for the forced eviction and relocation of public housing tenants by the state government.
Woollahra, Australia - 26 August 2014
Second property sold in Millers Point
26 Aug 2014
Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton and Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, today announced the second government-owned property at Millers Point, 29 Lower Fort Street, was sold at auction for $2.56 million.
The five-bedroom heritage protected townhouse has extensive views of Sydney Harbour.
Minister Upton said the sales of properties in the harbour-side precinct would help to fund social housing across NSW.
“Tonight’s auction follows last week’s sale of a property for $1.91 million on Kent Street” Ms Upton said.
“All proceeds from sales will go straight back into maintenance and building contemporary social housing that is so urgently needed.
“On average, for every Millers Point property that is sold, we could build three more accessible and modern properties.
“And the new properties will be better suited and more comfortable for the elderly and families with special needs than in older Millers Point properties.
“The provision of new social housing, made possible through sales in Millers Point, will mean that more families in desperate need on the social housing waiting list can get secure, affordable housing.
“Every Millers Point tenant is being offered alternative accommodation in safer, more suitable properties and all reasonable costs of moving will be paid by the Government. More than 100 tenants have already chosen to move.
“There is a tenancy relocation service working with each tenant to determine their needs to ensure they are provided accommodation suited to their requirements and that they are satisfactorily re-established within their new community,” said Ms Upton.
Mr Perrottet said the second property to sell at 29 Lower Fort Street continued the strong interest from potential buyers in properties in the precinct.
“There are currently three other properties on the market as part of the Government’s first tranche of sales in the Millers Point precinct,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Millers Point is a unique historic precinct and it is continuing to capture the attention of the local property market.
"The real estate agent received strong interest for this property, with more than 200 prospective buyers inspecting the premises and more than 60 pre-auction contracts issued.
“These initial sales in Millers Point are an excellent test for the market and prove that there is a real desire to see this historic precinct restored and thriving.”
RESOURCED: http://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/about_us/media_releases/second-property-sold-in-millers-point
The five-bedroom heritage protected townhouse has extensive views of Sydney Harbour.
Minister Upton said the sales of properties in the harbour-side precinct would help to fund social housing across NSW.
“Tonight’s auction follows last week’s sale of a property for $1.91 million on Kent Street” Ms Upton said.
“All proceeds from sales will go straight back into maintenance and building contemporary social housing that is so urgently needed.
“On average, for every Millers Point property that is sold, we could build three more accessible and modern properties.
“And the new properties will be better suited and more comfortable for the elderly and families with special needs than in older Millers Point properties.
“The provision of new social housing, made possible through sales in Millers Point, will mean that more families in desperate need on the social housing waiting list can get secure, affordable housing.
“Every Millers Point tenant is being offered alternative accommodation in safer, more suitable properties and all reasonable costs of moving will be paid by the Government. More than 100 tenants have already chosen to move.
“There is a tenancy relocation service working with each tenant to determine their needs to ensure they are provided accommodation suited to their requirements and that they are satisfactorily re-established within their new community,” said Ms Upton.
Mr Perrottet said the second property to sell at 29 Lower Fort Street continued the strong interest from potential buyers in properties in the precinct.
“There are currently three other properties on the market as part of the Government’s first tranche of sales in the Millers Point precinct,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Millers Point is a unique historic precinct and it is continuing to capture the attention of the local property market.
"The real estate agent received strong interest for this property, with more than 200 prospective buyers inspecting the premises and more than 60 pre-auction contracts issued.
“These initial sales in Millers Point are an excellent test for the market and prove that there is a real desire to see this historic precinct restored and thriving.”
RESOURCED: http://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/about_us/media_releases/second-property-sold-in-millers-point
Saturday 23 August 2014
Government used "tea leaves" on Millers Point sale: expert
August 23, 2014
Nicole Hasham
The state government is offloading hundreds of harbourside homes at Millers Point without economic modelling or an up-to-date social housing plan, raising doubts over the integrity of the controversial sale.
The absence of both a policy and economic data prompted one housing academic to ask if the public housing sell-off was decided by reading "tea leaves". NSW Labor says the government risks flooding the market with homes, damaging returns to taxpayers.
The Department of Family and Community Services on Friday refused to answer questions on why potential economic outcomes were not modelled before former Community Services Minister Pru Goward announced the sale in March.
It has emerged that NSW Land and Housing Corporation Deputy Director-General Anne Skewes told a parliamentary inquiry in May that "I have done no economic modelling" on the Millers Point sale.
Ms Skewes said "sales advice" was required "to know precisely the investment that will be made" when proceeds are fed back into the social housing system.
The first Millers Point home sold at auction on Thursday for $1.911 million. The government has 18 months to sell the remaining 292 properties and relocate hundreds of tenants.
Labor MP Sophie Cotsis described the decision to "sell an entire suburb" without economic modelling as "sheer incompetence".
"They are just going to flood the market," she said.
"The government says they will build more [social housing] properties, but where? We just don't know."
University of Sydney urban planning professor Peter Phibbs described the absence of modelling as "staggering".
"It seems pretty cavalier. It's a substantial change in policy, it's a lot of properties, a lot of money," he said, asking if bureaucrats used "tea leaves" to arrive at the decision.
A report by the NSW Auditor-General in June last year said selling public housing to fill a budget shortfall was "not financially sustainable".
It called on the government to produce a new social housing policy, and strategies to manage housing estates and its asset portfolio, by December. The plans have not been delivered.
A departmental spokeswoman said the government was "developing its social housing priorities".
She said the Millers Point sale was "due to the high cost of maintenance … and high potential sales value".
"Selling properties at Millers Point is a financially sustainable way … to manage the portfolio," the spokeswoman said.
"The sales proceeds and savings in maintenance costs mean more money will be available to assist those who need help from the social housing system."
As reported, Lend Lease is wavering on a commitment to build affordable housing at Barangaroo, and has considered locating it at Millers Point.
City of Sydney Labor councillor Linda Scott is due to put a motion to the council on Monday, calling for affordable housing to be built at Barangaroo.
"There is an urgent need for more affordable housing in the inner-city which is close to jobs and transport," she said.
Resourced: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/government-used-tea-leaves-on-millers-point-sale-expert-20140822-107ceq.html
Nicole Hasham
| Residents of Millers Point public housing protest the sale of their homes. |
The state government is offloading hundreds of harbourside homes at Millers Point without economic modelling or an up-to-date social housing plan, raising doubts over the integrity of the controversial sale.
The absence of both a policy and economic data prompted one housing academic to ask if the public housing sell-off was decided by reading "tea leaves". NSW Labor says the government risks flooding the market with homes, damaging returns to taxpayers.
The Department of Family and Community Services on Friday refused to answer questions on why potential economic outcomes were not modelled before former Community Services Minister Pru Goward announced the sale in March.
It has emerged that NSW Land and Housing Corporation Deputy Director-General Anne Skewes told a parliamentary inquiry in May that "I have done no economic modelling" on the Millers Point sale.
| Millers Point: a community under the hammer |
Ms Skewes said "sales advice" was required "to know precisely the investment that will be made" when proceeds are fed back into the social housing system.
The first Millers Point home sold at auction on Thursday for $1.911 million. The government has 18 months to sell the remaining 292 properties and relocate hundreds of tenants.
Labor MP Sophie Cotsis described the decision to "sell an entire suburb" without economic modelling as "sheer incompetence".
"They are just going to flood the market," she said.
"The government says they will build more [social housing] properties, but where? We just don't know."
University of Sydney urban planning professor Peter Phibbs described the absence of modelling as "staggering".
"It seems pretty cavalier. It's a substantial change in policy, it's a lot of properties, a lot of money," he said, asking if bureaucrats used "tea leaves" to arrive at the decision.
A report by the NSW Auditor-General in June last year said selling public housing to fill a budget shortfall was "not financially sustainable".
It called on the government to produce a new social housing policy, and strategies to manage housing estates and its asset portfolio, by December. The plans have not been delivered.
A departmental spokeswoman said the government was "developing its social housing priorities".
She said the Millers Point sale was "due to the high cost of maintenance … and high potential sales value".
"Selling properties at Millers Point is a financially sustainable way … to manage the portfolio," the spokeswoman said.
"The sales proceeds and savings in maintenance costs mean more money will be available to assist those who need help from the social housing system."
As reported, Lend Lease is wavering on a commitment to build affordable housing at Barangaroo, and has considered locating it at Millers Point.
City of Sydney Labor councillor Linda Scott is due to put a motion to the council on Monday, calling for affordable housing to be built at Barangaroo.
"There is an urgent need for more affordable housing in the inner-city which is close to jobs and transport," she said.
Resourced: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/government-used-tea-leaves-on-millers-point-sale-expert-20140822-107ceq.html
Friends of Erskineville express concerns for public housing with proposal to redevelop Central to Eveleigh
| Darren Jenkins, president of FOE, talks to resident Elena Black about the NSW Government's plans to redevelopment 46 homes on Explorer Street, South Eveleigh. Picture: Craig Wilson |
Sarah Sharples August 22, 2014
ELANA Black has already been moved out of her public housing unit in Glebe because the building was knocked down. She doesn’t want to be displaced again.
The mother of three was living in Edgar St, Glebe, before being given six months notice that she had to move.
She moved into a big four-bedroom house in Darling St in Glebe but was “fortunate” to do a swap into public housing in Eveleigh.
“It’s so quiet here. It’s heaven and it’s beautiful here. It’s such a change to come here,” Ms Black said. “We’re so relieved we could sleep in our beds and not worry about fighting and screaming on the streets.”
The public housing town houses in South Eveleigh potentially earmarked for development. Picture: Craig Wilson
|
Doubts cast on the viability of Millers Point public housing sell-off
But a plan from the NSW Government to redevelop the Central to Eveleigh corridor — including taller residential buildings adjacent to the rail corridor in South Eveleigh — has left community group Friends of Erskineville (FOE) worried about the implications for public housing in the area.
FOE president Darren Jenkins and committee member Zio Ledeux doorknocked 46 public townhouses in the area earlier this month to let residents know about the plan.
“When the Government puts forward material like this and when they show this grand plan, which must mean knocking someone’s house down and you don’t do anything to reassure the residents, you can frighten some very vulnerable people,” he said.
“Several of the families we spoke with while doorknocking had already been relocated from public housing that had been sold off and now here is the prospect that they will be asked to pack up and move out again — it’s just not right,” he said.
“Those families that had just moved from Millers Point — to think they would be pushed out of their house again in the next five years is galling.”
A protest is held out the front of the John McGrath Real Estate Office in Edgecliff over the auctions taking place at the Millers Point Housing Commission homes. An apartment sold for around two million dollars.
|
A Department of Family and Community Services spokeswoman said there are just under 100 social housing properties in the South Eveleigh area.
“The department of Family & Community Services will be seeking to maintain social housing in the area,” she said.
FOE has written to Family and Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton expressing concerns about the NSW Government’s redevelopment plans and seeking assurances that public housing residents will not be forced from their homes and relocated out of the area.
A letter has been sent to Family and Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton expressing concerns about the proposed plans.
|
“I pay full rent so I should be treated as a private tenant. I love it here,” she said.
I am just not prepared to move. But we will be the last people to know that they’re going to knock this place down — that’s what happened to us in Glebe.”
First six public housing properties being sold by the state government at Millers Point at The Rocks. 119 Kent Street, Millers Point.
|
■ The South Eveleigh Precinct vision is a primarily residential precinct centred around neighbourhood scale shops and high-quality public spaces, along with walkable streets with excellent connects to the surrounding neighbourhoods
■ The development is planned for some time in the next five years
■ It would comprise diverse apartment buildings — taller buildings adjacent to the rail corridor with lower buildings on the precinct edges to provide a transition to the existing low-scale neighbourhood
Friday 22 August 2014
Time for Strategy: Part 2
Saturday, 16 August 2014
But first, here's an update on what's happened so far...
The NSW Liberal Government has been doing a pretty good job of screwing over elderly, the disabled, the working class, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged. The taskforce on Sydney's housing affordability crisis has not met in over a year. But is has gotten rid of strict heritage rules for property developers. We also know that the government feels comfortable cooking the books to hide the deadly effect of sell-off. There has been reports of hospitalisations, a heart attack, and at least one suicide. Some excellent reporting from Nicole Hasham, Sydney Morning Herald.
How do they sleep at night?
And also, the campaign to save Millers Point, et al...
The indomitable Barney Gardner has been front and centre of the campaign. There has been sustained media attention from mainstream and alternative media, mostly sympathetic. Social cleansing. Two-legged rats. Let's not forget that the residents took on the government in the 1970's, and won. The government is experiencing getting its message across. Good. There has been some really good fundraising initiatives, from t-shirts to family days. Great. You can't run a campaign without money. If you have coins to spare, please consider making a donation.
But, have they won..?
Nope. The government has pressured some residents to relocate, but many are refusing to move. We understand 102 households have accepted offers of relocation but a further 291 at Millers Point and the Rocks have not accepted the offers. The hard data is a little sobering, but we must remember this is a David and Goliath battle. The NSW Liberal Government has employed questionable tactics from the very start. It has been inundating residents with casual drop-ins, telephone calls, texts, letters, and interviewing residents with no lawyers, guardians, or support persons.
I could think of a few choice words to describe this behaviour, but I will restrain myself. Indecent. Immoral. Unethical. Unconscionable.
What else can be done..?
We need to dig in our heels and up the ante. Labour in opposition is opposed to the fire sale. The next NSW election is scheduled for next year, March.
Delay, delay, delay
It is difficult not to link the Millers Point sell-off with claims of large-scale and systemic corruption. Property developers have been banned from making political donations in New South Wales since 2009. We know now that members of the Liberal Party have been accepting bribes from property developers. There has been talk of bundles of cash. I wouldn't be surprised if the Independent Commission into Corruption (ICAC) is quietly investigating the sell-off. Eight MPs have stood down, including former Premier, Barry O'Farrell. In light of this scandal, the sale of Millers Point is hardly tenable. If I was Mike Baird, I would be seriously reconsidering this decision. If anyone has any information, please come forward.
Ramp up the resistance
We've got to ramp up the resistance. There comes a point where no matter the community outrage, the government forges ahead with its plans. I would be talking to trade unions to see how they can help. I would refuse to comply with eviction and other notices. I would be picketing inspections and auctions of the properties. I would be employing peaceful resistance tactics. I would be holding prayer vigils in parliamentary offices.
Above all else, tenants must stick together no matter what. I have seen Channel 10 interview homeless people for their views on the sell-off. This is part and parcel of the NSW Liberal Government's strategy. Divide and conquer. As I've said before, I highly doubt the Liberal Government is going to reallocate funding to housing. Look at the evidence.
Media Coverage:
It's been a while since I wrote my first instalment on the eviction of public housing tenants from Sydney's harbour front - Millers Point, the Rocks, and Dawes Point. As promised, I am going to look at potential strategies and tactics residents can use in the resistance.
But first, here's an update on what's happened so far...
The NSW Liberal Government has been doing a pretty good job of screwing over elderly, the disabled, the working class, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged. The taskforce on Sydney's housing affordability crisis has not met in over a year. But is has gotten rid of strict heritage rules for property developers. We also know that the government feels comfortable cooking the books to hide the deadly effect of sell-off. There has been reports of hospitalisations, a heart attack, and at least one suicide. Some excellent reporting from Nicole Hasham, Sydney Morning Herald.
How do they sleep at night?
And also, the campaign to save Millers Point, et al...
The indomitable Barney Gardner has been front and centre of the campaign. There has been sustained media attention from mainstream and alternative media, mostly sympathetic. Social cleansing. Two-legged rats. Let's not forget that the residents took on the government in the 1970's, and won. The government is experiencing getting its message across. Good. There has been some really good fundraising initiatives, from t-shirts to family days. Great. You can't run a campaign without money. If you have coins to spare, please consider making a donation.
But, have they won..?
Nope. The government has pressured some residents to relocate, but many are refusing to move. We understand 102 households have accepted offers of relocation but a further 291 at Millers Point and the Rocks have not accepted the offers. The hard data is a little sobering, but we must remember this is a David and Goliath battle. The NSW Liberal Government has employed questionable tactics from the very start. It has been inundating residents with casual drop-ins, telephone calls, texts, letters, and interviewing residents with no lawyers, guardians, or support persons.
I could think of a few choice words to describe this behaviour, but I will restrain myself. Indecent. Immoral. Unethical. Unconscionable.
What else can be done..?
We need to dig in our heels and up the ante. Labour in opposition is opposed to the fire sale. The next NSW election is scheduled for next year, March.
Delay, delay, delay
It is difficult not to link the Millers Point sell-off with claims of large-scale and systemic corruption. Property developers have been banned from making political donations in New South Wales since 2009. We know now that members of the Liberal Party have been accepting bribes from property developers. There has been talk of bundles of cash. I wouldn't be surprised if the Independent Commission into Corruption (ICAC) is quietly investigating the sell-off. Eight MPs have stood down, including former Premier, Barry O'Farrell. In light of this scandal, the sale of Millers Point is hardly tenable. If I was Mike Baird, I would be seriously reconsidering this decision. If anyone has any information, please come forward.
Ramp up the resistance
We've got to ramp up the resistance. There comes a point where no matter the community outrage, the government forges ahead with its plans. I would be talking to trade unions to see how they can help. I would refuse to comply with eviction and other notices. I would be picketing inspections and auctions of the properties. I would be employing peaceful resistance tactics. I would be holding prayer vigils in parliamentary offices.
Above all else, tenants must stick together no matter what. I have seen Channel 10 interview homeless people for their views on the sell-off. This is part and parcel of the NSW Liberal Government's strategy. Divide and conquer. As I've said before, I highly doubt the Liberal Government is going to reallocate funding to housing. Look at the evidence.
Media Coverage:
- Tim Barlass, 'Rats plague vulnerable elderly of Millers Point, UN told' (Sydney Morning Herald, 3 August 2014)
- Kate McClymont, 'ICAC told former police minister Mike Gallacher was 'orchestrating' illegal donations from Nathan Tinkler's property development company' (Sydney Morning Herald, 13 August 2013)
- Nicole Hasham, 'Heritage rules scrapped for Millers Point buyers' (Sydney Morning Herald, 12 August 2014)
SECRET AUCTIONS AT MILLERS POINT RAISE COMMUNITY CONCERN
August 21, 2014
The NSW Liberal Government’s secret auctions of public housing properties at Millers Point strikes at the heart of community confidence that this is nothing more than a fire sale of public assets and should be stopped.
“The revelations that public housing at Millers Point are going to be sold in secret is just more evidence that taxpayers can have no confidence in this process and that it needs to be stopped immediately,” Shadow Minister for Housing Sophie Cotsis said.
“These secret auctions show the government is more concerned with a quick cash grab, rather than the best interests of taxpayers and the current tenants of these properties.
“The Liberals claims they want to invest the revenue from the sales in new public housing but there is no evidence of that in the budget.
“Everyone knows that if you are selling your house at auction, you want to attract as many bidders as possible in order to get the best price.
“Instead of making these auctions open for everyone, the NSW Liberal Government is holding them in secret.
“These secret auctions are not transparent and they do not guarantee the best return for the sale of a public asset.
“The Liberals’ watered down heritage requirements mean that potential speculators can landbank these properties for future development.”
Labor candidate for Sydney Edwina Lloyd condemned the Liberals’ handling of housing at Millers Point.
“Labor opposes the forced eviction of public housing tenants from Millers Point,” Labor candidate for Sydney Edwina Lloyd said.
“The NSW Liberal Government has already been caught tampering with reports to downplay the impact that forced evictions will have on residents’ health - and they have watered down heritage rules for purchasers of these properties.
“These secret auctions show that the entire process is a sham and that the Liberals are determined to sell these properties, even if it means that taxpayers do not receive the best sale price at auction.
“I am calling on the NSW Liberal Government to halt this sale process, talk to the tenants they are evicting and develop a real plan to deliver affordable housing in the inner-city.”
Resourced: http://www.johnrobertson.com.au/secret_auctions_at_millers_point
The NSW Liberal Government’s secret auctions of public housing properties at Millers Point strikes at the heart of community confidence that this is nothing more than a fire sale of public assets and should be stopped.
“The revelations that public housing at Millers Point are going to be sold in secret is just more evidence that taxpayers can have no confidence in this process and that it needs to be stopped immediately,” Shadow Minister for Housing Sophie Cotsis said.
“These secret auctions show the government is more concerned with a quick cash grab, rather than the best interests of taxpayers and the current tenants of these properties.
“The Liberals claims they want to invest the revenue from the sales in new public housing but there is no evidence of that in the budget.
“Everyone knows that if you are selling your house at auction, you want to attract as many bidders as possible in order to get the best price.
“Instead of making these auctions open for everyone, the NSW Liberal Government is holding them in secret.
“These secret auctions are not transparent and they do not guarantee the best return for the sale of a public asset.
“The Liberals’ watered down heritage requirements mean that potential speculators can landbank these properties for future development.”
Labor candidate for Sydney Edwina Lloyd condemned the Liberals’ handling of housing at Millers Point.
“Labor opposes the forced eviction of public housing tenants from Millers Point,” Labor candidate for Sydney Edwina Lloyd said.
“The NSW Liberal Government has already been caught tampering with reports to downplay the impact that forced evictions will have on residents’ health - and they have watered down heritage rules for purchasers of these properties.
“These secret auctions show that the entire process is a sham and that the Liberals are determined to sell these properties, even if it means that taxpayers do not receive the best sale price at auction.
“I am calling on the NSW Liberal Government to halt this sale process, talk to the tenants they are evicting and develop a real plan to deliver affordable housing in the inner-city.”
Resourced: http://www.johnrobertson.com.au/secret_auctions_at_millers_point
Vacated Millers Point four level terrace fetches $1.911 million at private State Government auction
Jonathan Chancellor | 21 August 2014
The jubilant Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton, and Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, have announced the first sale of a government-owned heritage property at Millers Point sold at McGrath auction for $1.911 million tonight.
The news of the sale price was broken on twitter by 2GB, with bidding starting at $1 million.
The last public housing tenant paid $77.20 a week rent at the property which had revised price guidance of $1.3 million plus. It has water views over Walsh Bay.
An initial price guide of $1 million plus was suggested for the rundown four-bedroom heritage-listed home which has been vacant since early 2011.
“For every Millers Point property that is sold, we can build three modern properties that are more accessible and comfortable,” Ms Upton said after the auction.
She said the sale was "a win" for the 58,000 households on the waiting list for public housing because it helps make the social housing system more sustainable and will help get new properties in the system sooner.”
But activists says that the minister who introduced the relocation policy, Pru Goward has thrice refused to commit all sale proceeds to public housing.
The first property to go under the hammer, 119 Kent Street, received strong buyer interest with more than 200 groups inspecting the four bedroom, four level property in the first two weeks of its listing.
That was despite property inspections being strictly by appointment, with buyers teeing it up with the listing agent.
There were also more than 1500 enquiries received through the real estate agent’s website and more than 50 pre-auction very bulky contracts were issued.
There are currently five other properties on the auction market - including through Di Jones Real Estate - as part of the Government’s first tranche of sales in the Millers Point precinct.
Given concerns of activist tenants turning up to distrupt the auction, there was no disclosure as to the location of the auction.
Conditions of entry to the auction, drawn up by Government Property NSW and obtained by Fairfax Media, banned any form of video, audio or photography.
All media outlets were to be denied entry.
Almost 600 public housing tenants will be evicted across 263 homes for the sales program, which has been described by critics as ''social cleansing''. Even the Pet Shop Boys during their recent visit tweeted their concern as to the relocation outcome.
One of the properties is a four-bedroom 1840 Georgian house called Tarra, that has views of the Opera House from underneath the bridge.
The strict silly auction rules were reported by The SMH as including:
1. As the auction will be held on private property, McGrath reserves its rights.
2. Admittance to the auction is for bona fide buyers who are in a position to purchase the property on the night.
3. Due to restricted space, only pre-registrations will be accepted and only two people per group are permitted.
4. No press or media or other real estate agents will be permitted entry.
5. No video, audio or still photography will be permitted.
6. Individuals that cause disturbance on the night or during the auction process will be asked to leave or may be removed.
7. You will be asked to sign the above conditions of entry on the night.
Resourced: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/finding/residential-investment/sales-and-auctions/34760-millers-point-four-level-terrace-fetches-1-911-million-at-private-auction.html
The jubilant Minister for Family and Community Services, Gabrielle Upton, and Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, have announced the first sale of a government-owned heritage property at Millers Point sold at McGrath auction for $1.911 million tonight.
The news of the sale price was broken on twitter by 2GB, with bidding starting at $1 million.
The last public housing tenant paid $77.20 a week rent at the property which had revised price guidance of $1.3 million plus. It has water views over Walsh Bay.
An initial price guide of $1 million plus was suggested for the rundown four-bedroom heritage-listed home which has been vacant since early 2011.
“For every Millers Point property that is sold, we can build three modern properties that are more accessible and comfortable,” Ms Upton said after the auction.
She said the sale was "a win" for the 58,000 households on the waiting list for public housing because it helps make the social housing system more sustainable and will help get new properties in the system sooner.”
But activists says that the minister who introduced the relocation policy, Pru Goward has thrice refused to commit all sale proceeds to public housing.
The first property to go under the hammer, 119 Kent Street, received strong buyer interest with more than 200 groups inspecting the four bedroom, four level property in the first two weeks of its listing.
That was despite property inspections being strictly by appointment, with buyers teeing it up with the listing agent.
There were also more than 1500 enquiries received through the real estate agent’s website and more than 50 pre-auction very bulky contracts were issued.
There are currently five other properties on the auction market - including through Di Jones Real Estate - as part of the Government’s first tranche of sales in the Millers Point precinct.
Given concerns of activist tenants turning up to distrupt the auction, there was no disclosure as to the location of the auction.
Conditions of entry to the auction, drawn up by Government Property NSW and obtained by Fairfax Media, banned any form of video, audio or photography.
All media outlets were to be denied entry.
Almost 600 public housing tenants will be evicted across 263 homes for the sales program, which has been described by critics as ''social cleansing''. Even the Pet Shop Boys during their recent visit tweeted their concern as to the relocation outcome.
One of the properties is a four-bedroom 1840 Georgian house called Tarra, that has views of the Opera House from underneath the bridge.
The strict silly auction rules were reported by The SMH as including:
1. As the auction will be held on private property, McGrath reserves its rights.
2. Admittance to the auction is for bona fide buyers who are in a position to purchase the property on the night.
3. Due to restricted space, only pre-registrations will be accepted and only two people per group are permitted.
4. No press or media or other real estate agents will be permitted entry.
5. No video, audio or still photography will be permitted.
6. Individuals that cause disturbance on the night or during the auction process will be asked to leave or may be removed.
7. You will be asked to sign the above conditions of entry on the night.
Resourced: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/finding/residential-investment/sales-and-auctions/34760-millers-point-four-level-terrace-fetches-1-911-million-at-private-auction.html
First Millers Point property sells for $1.9 million
The first property to be auctioned as part of the state government sell-off of public housing at Millers Point sold for $1,911,000 on Thursday night.
The house at of 119 Kent Street was initially marketed through McGrath's Peter Starr for more than $1 million. Due to the high level of interest, the price guide was was revised to more than $1.3 million ahead of the auction.
The private auction was held at McGrath Estate Agents' head office in Edgecliff with only vetted pre-registered bidders invited to attend. On arrival potential buyers were required to show their cheque book before they were were allowed to enter.
An auction attendee advised Domain of the sale price and said "everyone in the room was shocked".
Bidding started at $1 million but then jumped up to $1.45 million. It was purchased by a buyer who appeared to be in his thirties.
The Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, said "this initial sale is an excellent test for the market".
Millers Point: a community under the hammer
The four-bedroom unrenovated terrace had been vacant since February 2011. The last public housing tenant paid $77.20 a week in rent.
There were approximately 80 people present at the auction. More than 50 pre-auction contracts were issued for the property.
One of the conditions of entry specified that only two people per group were allowed to attend due to "restricted space".
Members of the Millers Point community were gathered outside the auction to protest the government sell-off.
The house is the first of 293 state-owned properties to be sold in the Millers Point precinct.
The remainder will be sold off over a two year period with the next auction taking place on Tuesday August 26.
There are currently five freehold Millers Point homes listed on Domain.com.au.
Resourced: http://m.smh.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/first-millers-point-property-sells-for-19-million-20140821-106usl.html
The house at of 119 Kent Street was initially marketed through McGrath's Peter Starr for more than $1 million. Due to the high level of interest, the price guide was was revised to more than $1.3 million ahead of the auction.
The private auction was held at McGrath Estate Agents' head office in Edgecliff with only vetted pre-registered bidders invited to attend. On arrival potential buyers were required to show their cheque book before they were were allowed to enter.
An auction attendee advised Domain of the sale price and said "everyone in the room was shocked".
Bidding started at $1 million but then jumped up to $1.45 million. It was purchased by a buyer who appeared to be in his thirties.
The Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, said "this initial sale is an excellent test for the market".
| Sold: 119 Kent Street, Millers Point sold for $1.9 million at a private auction on Thursday night. |
Millers Point: a community under the hammer
The four-bedroom unrenovated terrace had been vacant since February 2011. The last public housing tenant paid $77.20 a week in rent.
There were approximately 80 people present at the auction. More than 50 pre-auction contracts were issued for the property.
One of the conditions of entry specified that only two people per group were allowed to attend due to "restricted space".
Members of the Millers Point community were gathered outside the auction to protest the government sell-off.
The house is the first of 293 state-owned properties to be sold in the Millers Point precinct.
The remainder will be sold off over a two year period with the next auction taking place on Tuesday August 26.
There are currently five freehold Millers Point homes listed on Domain.com.au.
Resourced: http://m.smh.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/first-millers-point-property-sells-for-19-million-20140821-106usl.html
Thursday 21 August 2014
PROTESTING & HOLDING A VIGIL
TONIGHT - PROTESTING & HOLDING A VIGIL" outside of the "McGrath Estate Agents" at 5:00pm-7:00pm, 119 New South Head Rd.
BUYER BEWARE: SALE DOES NOT HAVE COMMUNITY SUPPORT
The Millers Point Community today said the NSW Government had failed to win community support for the sale of public housing at Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks.
Millers Point, Dawes Point and the Rocks Public Housing Tenants Group Convenor Barney Gardner said the first of the houses to be put up for sale (119 Kent Street, Millers Point) would be auctioned by McGrath Real Estate tonight.
“Premier Mike Baird and Minister for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton have failed to win support for the sale.” Mr Gardner said.
“They have no political mandate, and no social license for their cruel program to displace an entire community of public housing tenants.”
“Whoever buys these properties will be contributing to the destruction of a close-knit community, while removing many elderly and vulnerable people from their local support networks.”
Mr Gardner also slammed McGrath Real Estate for profiteering from the sale process.
“If McGrath had any sense of corporate responsibility it would have declined the opportunity to tender for this project.”
“The agent knows these sales are morally wrong because they are being held behind closed doors, under the cover of darkness.”
On behalf of the residents of Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks who are being evicted, I call on people to show their disgust by Boycotting McGrath Real Estate and taking their business elsewhere.”
Note: Member of the Millers Point community will be holding a protest vigil outside the McGrath Real Estate headquarters in Edgecliff between 6pm and 7pm tonight.
WHAT: Millers Point protest vigil.
WHEN: Between 6pm and 7pm tonight, Thursday 21 August
WHO: Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks public housing tenants.
WHERE: 191 New South Head Road, Edgecliff.
GABRIELLE UPTON'S COMEDY CAPERS
By Edwina Lloyd
The spin doctors in Minister Upton’s Office probably thought they were forming a cunning plan to thwart the nasty public housing tenants, but the ridiculous secrecy surrounding the covert auction of the Millers Point properties smacks of Inspector Clouseau rather than James Bond.
I smell a rat.
The sale process has turned into a comical and chaotic display of the Liberal Government’s complete arrogance and disregard for public opinion.
The auctions will be by invitation only, with bidders vetted to make sure they are genuine buyers - and not “plants” who might leak the secret details to either the media or, horror of all horrors, local residents.
It's been reported that bidders at the auctions will be informed of the location just two hours beforehand, via text message.
About a year ago, the Baird Liberal Government announced that it would destroy this close-knit community. Did they really think the locals wouldn’t be a little upset?
Their arrogant, callous and careless actions once again shows that they just don’t care about what people think of them. They don’t listen to the concerns from the community.
As long as they give property developers and wealthy investors what they want, then the broader community can go to hell.
Certainly, Minister Upton has done everything in her power to give people that impression. She has steadfastly refused to meet with the people she is displacing from Millers Point, failed to respond to their letters, avoided their phone calls and even ducked for cover when they inconveniently turned up at one of her press conferences.
As one of the 60 per cent elderly Millers Point residents, Barney, proclaims, “What is she scared of? Does she think we will attack her with our walking sticks? We just want to share our concerns, we deserve that at least, don’t we?”
Safely ensconced in her Double Bay bunker, where she has almost zero chance of running into someone with an annual income of under $150,000, she can reassure herself that flogging off public housing properties in Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks is somehow in the public interest.
Even though, of course, her rationale to explain the sales is completely flawed and based on a lie.
Last week Joe Hockey told us that poor people don’t drive cars. This week Gabrielle Upton is showing us that, according to the Liberals, poor people don’t deserve to live in the city.
It’s that belief which is driving Gabrielle Upton’s program to rid Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks of pensioners and people on low-incomes.
The whole program stinks, the rat is out of the bag, Minister. Cloaking the auctions under a veil of government secrecy won’t disguise the putrid smell of the Liberal’s latest sad, mean scheme.
YOU CAN SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN!
Sign the online petition- https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/save-the-heritage-the-community-of-millers-point-dawes-point-the-rocks
Download, print out and fill out & return the paper based petition-https://clrdoutney.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/millers-point-petition.pdf
Support the campaign and buy a T-Shirt Online-
http://www.capturethatphotographics.com/ Mouse over photography projects then click on Save Millers Point it will bring up the T-Shirt Purchase page.
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