Darling House impacted by new rent agreement

By Chris Sutton

Darling House in Millers Point may close down following the NSW government’s decision to remove a long-standing rent agreement.
This agreement, called peppercorn rent, is a nominal rental sum used to satisfy legal requirements. Darling House, an aged care home, has been paying $5 a week rent in a deal set more than 20 years ago and served to benefit the elderly. The facility will close in March as ageing residents seek new places to live.
The move has been made as the NSW government looks to earn market value for buildings such as Darling House. Other inner city community service sites are attempting to negotiate this removal. The Glebe Youth Service could have a decision as early as this week.
Some peppercorn rent agreements were as low as $1 per year, allowing services to focus on the support of the community.
Councillor Irene Doutney told City Hub that there were rumours about the removal last year but nobody believed the government would go through with it.
“Darling House is a beautiful house, it’s got 9 people living in it, why would they do it? I think it’s appalling to do this to seniors.”
Cr Doutney is concerned this will impact more non-profit community groups.
“It’s not just Darling House; in the report I read they talk about all peppercorn rents so that’s going to affect other public services and threaten community centres. The government removed the peppercorn rent so they can make money.”
Chairman of Darling House Aged Care Association Jim Warren informed City Hub that few members of Darling House have come from the Millers Point area, so it would not be particularly important to the wider community. He also didn’t agree that rent changes were the reason for closure.
“It would be quite incorrect to in any way suggest that Darling House is closing because of the pending removal of the peppercorn rent.”
Mr Warren was of the view that Darling House would have closed either way. He admits that while it is unfortunate, the service enjoyed a longer run than everyone expected.
“The removal of the peppercorn rent was only one of a number of factors considered by the Board in reaching its decision to close, and it is likely the same decision would have been made regardless of the rent.”
John McInerney, Chairman of the Millers Point Residents Actions Group, said he doesn’t agree with Mr Warren’s assessment.
“He may believe that. It has been a community funded and community supported organisation since the start, over 21 years ago. If you change the rent from 250 dollars a year to 200,000 dollars a year it has certain implications. It doesn’t make any logical sense really.”
A Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) spokesperson gave City Hub the following statement: “FACS is committed to retaining current leases based on existing conditions when they expire while any negotiations take place on new lease agreements.”
Deputy Lord Mayor Robyn Kemmis told City Hub that the closing down of Darling House is a tragedy and believes the peppercorn rent decision impacted the Millers Point service.   
Millers Point has been at the centre of housing controversy of late, with squatters being evicted from an Argyle Place property in September as the government plans to sell hundreds of public housing homes.
Cr Doutney is focused on assessing all options to support the community, regardless of why the services are closing.
“I’ll be putting up a notice of motion to see if there is anything we can do. It was suggested to me that the only thing we can do is buy Darling House and I don’t think we could afford to do that.”
Cr Doutney believes all community services and centres will be threatened, especially in Millers Point.
“Millers Point is being cleansed, it is being wiped out. I hear over 40 percent of the residents are gone, so they’re being very successful. And when you’re dealing with older people, you’re too old to fight anymore, and it’s a terrible outcome to move all these people out, and to me it bodes badly for what is going to happen to other heritage housing in the future.”
Mr Warren was asked if there had been discussions between the government and Darling House.
“We have been advised the Government is reviewing all its rental arrangements. This review is ongoing, and new rentals are unlikely to be determined until about July next year. Darling House continues for the time being to enjoy a peppercorn rent.”
The timing of the decision is an issue for the residents currently living on the premises, and one that Cr Doutney doesn’t understand.
“What’s the hurry? It just looks like a big disaster. Where are those residents going to live?” said Cr Doutney.


RESOURCED: http://www.altmedia.net.au/darling-house-impacted-by-new-rent-agreement/99290

Battles rage over inner city and Harbour developments

Peter Mac

Battles are now raging over controversial developments around Sydney Harbour. Private investors, mostly from overseas, have now bought up much of the inner city property, and are joining a corporate campaign for major new developments around Sydney Harbour.

The Lands Department building, 23-33 Bridge Street, designed by James Barnet was built in two stages in 1876-1880 and 1888-1893.

That campaign is currently focused on the Western Harbour Precinct, the city’s old industrial and residential waterfront area west of the Harbour Bridge.

A recently released report by development accounting firm PwC claims that a massive redevelopment of the area “could boost the city’s economy more than $100 million annually, … grow the western precinct into NSW’s second largest economy after the central business district … [and] boost the area’s economic potential by 3 percent to 4 percent, equalling an additional $1 billion in returns over the next ten years”.

Development lobby groups want high-rise towers to dominate in any redevelopment of the area. Chris Johnson, CEO of developer organisation Urban Taskforce told a Fairfax journalist people should stop “wimping out” about high rise towers west of the Bridge.

A representative of one major architectural practice has stated that towers up to 450 metres should be built around stations on a new metro rail system in future redevelopment.

Arguing that going ever higher is the only way to deal with urban sprawl, he said “Sydney has a 235 metre height cap – the underside of Centrepoint Tower. Do we really want a 1970s icon to be the most visible point in the city? Sydney’s population is growing … We need to cap sprawl. It is not sustainable.”

Who pays the piper?

The competition for accommodation around the harbour and in inner Sydney is pushing up real estate prices, while the government is simultaneously abandoning inner-city public housing.

At Millers Point the government is proceeding so rapidly with its plan to sell off its historic houses that many dwellings formerly occupied by aged, long-term public housing residents are now unoccupied.

The government is also cancelling an arrangement under which the Department of Community Services has rented out about 1,200 buildings for a peppercorn rent to non-profit organisations for decades. The government now wants to charge all their occupants market rental.

As a result Darling House in Millers Point will close next March, forcing its aged residents into a desperate struggle to find other accommodation. The NSW Council of Social Services and the Glebe Youth Service will also be ejected. Greens MP Jamie Parker described the government’s move as “a cruel ideological attack that will inevitably see these critical services close”.

The federal government also has a stake in the future development of Sydney Harbour. Its organisation, the Federation Trust, has custodianship over a number of former military sites dotted around the Harbour.

One of the most spectacular is at Middle Head, right opposite the harbour entrance. The area retains much of its natural bushland, but a group of unoccupied former military buildings is now the subject of a commercial proposal to convert them to a commercial aged care centre.

The local council, the National Trust, the Headland Preservation Group, and local residents (including Tony Abbott’s sister) oppose the proposal because it would involve demolition of heritage buildings, contravene the previous plan for a public park on the headland, and set a precedent for commercial exploitation of all the former harbour defence sites.

The proposal requires approval by the Trust and federal environment minister Greg Hunt. However, the Trust’s chief executive Geoff Bailey has already advised the Council to drop its opposition, because, he says, the proposed institution’s residents would appreciate the “soothing quality of the natural setting”.

A Trust board member also appears to have a conflict of interest, being the chairperson of Retirement Living Today, a digital company that advises businesses which target elderly citizens.

Nevertheless, the federal Minister and the Trust are virtually certain to give the proposal the nod.

History’s not junk, it’s a commodity

The Abbott government is also considering residential development of one of Sydney’s beachside national parks at Malabar Beach headland, as well as the nearby Anzac Rifle Range, although it has promised the NSW Rifle Association it won’t have to leave the range until the government provides another site.
History is repeating itself. In 2012 after vigorous objections by the Association the Labor government abandoned plans to incorporate the range into the national park.

Earlier, in the 1970s a geological survey by the state and federal governments found that deposits of the excruciatingly expensive prime “yellow block” sandstone needed for maintenance of historic government buildings existed below the rifle range.

However, a scheme to quarry the stone was dumped after very active lobbying by the users of the rifle range, and by NSW sandstone quarrying firms, who argued that it would drastically affect levels of employment in their areas.

Speaking of sandstone, last week the state government called for expressions of interest in the long term lease of two of the city’s most impressive late 19th-century sandstone structures, the Lands Department and Education Department buildings, and in their conversion to boutique hotels.

The project would strip the city of two landmarks that have historic associations with both these critical government functions. It would also involve a massive cost in relocating the two departments to new rented premises.

However, the government is now treating its assets as commodities which should be sold off if that would benefit the private sector. State Finance Minister, Dominic Perrotet, declared: “It makes no sense to waste those sandstone buildings housing bureaucrats in prime CBD real estate. This decision means they will be open to the public and open to tourism across the world”.

Carrying the minister’s argument to its logical conclusion, the two departments would presumably be relocated to an area where rents are cheapest, outside the CBD. That says everything about the approach of the Coalition, which has little respect for public education, the public service in general, or the public itself, for that matter.

Unless the coalition is removed from office, the monstrosity of Barangaroo is likely to be repeated around the harbour and throughout the inner city, and that would be a disaster for the entire nation.

RESOURCED : http://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2014/1662/05-battles-rage.html

No fancy extensions, City of Sydney tells new Millers Point buyers

27th Oct 2014  Nicole Hasham

Over expectations: This house at 29 Lower Fort Street raised the bar when it sold for $2.56 million.

Buyers of former public housing properties at Millers Point would be barred from adding new rooms or extra storeys under changes proposed by the City of Sydney to protect the heritage-listed homes.
The proposal could severely hamper the renovation plans of new residents of the soon-to-be exclusive suburb, slash sale prices and lower the return to government from the controversial public housing sell off.


It comes amid figures released last week showing more than 59,000 NSW households were waiting for social housing in June, a 3.6 per cent jump on last year. The government says proceeds from the Millers Point sales will help alleviate the waiting list.


Opposed the plan: Clover Moore. Photo: Brendan Esposito

The government intends to sell more than 200 historic homes at Millers Point, relocating public housing tenants. Six homes have been sold so far, netting the government more than $15 million.

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Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has vehemently opposed the plan. A proposal to go before a council committee this week would limit buildings at Millers Point to their existing size.


The present controls – which were largely untested while the buildings were in public hands – allow nine-metre tall buildings and a 2-to-1 "floor-space ratio", which means a building's floor space can be double the size of the block of land.
A council report said those rules would allow expansions between 30 and 110 square metres, equating to an extra bedroom or additional storey, which "will have a significant impact on … the integrity of the conservation area and heritage items".
Under the proposal, minor height and floor space increases may be considered, but they must be consistent with conservation plans for each property.


The NSW Heritage Council had asked the City of Sydney to urgently review the controls, saying home buyers were likely to "seek to maximise … development potential" and development constraints "should be reflected in the market value of the properties".
Real Estate Institute of NSW president Malcolm Gunning said the change would drive down sale prices.
"People have bought [the homes] with the idea of being able to do more with it," he said.
"[The proposal] will affect the price because, in their current form they are probably not worth the money [being] paid".


Mr Gunning said reducing the allowable floor space by 30 square metres could knock more than $350,000 off the value of a property.
The proposal puts the council on a collision course with Planning Minister Pru Goward, who orchestrated the controversial sell-off in her previous portfolio and must sign off on the council's plan before it goes on public exhibition.
Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton and Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet would not comment. In a statement, Government Property NSW said it was unaware of the proposed changes, which it said may require planning department approval.


RESOURCED: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/no-fancy-extensions-city-of-sydney-tells-new-millers-point-buyers-20141026-11a00v.html

Elderly to be forced out of Millers Point as cheap rent deal comes to an end

EXCLUSIVE

Darling House resident Eileen Enslow, who turns 90 this week, is stunned the facility will close. Photo: Nic Walker

Non-profit community groups are being forced to pay hundreds of dollars a week in rent, throwing their viability into doubt, as the NSW government abandons "peppercorn rent" agreements that have been in place for decades.
In the latest example, the Darling House aged care home at Millers Point has been informed that a $5-a-week rent agreement struck more than 20 years ago will be scrapped, forcing the facility to close and leaving residents "stunned".
The Department of Family and Community Services rents about 1200 properties to non-profit organisations, many on peppercorn rents. It has confirmed it intends to fulfil a direction by Treasury that "market values …. be realised" on the lease of the assets – a move critics have described as "cruel".
Darling House's management was informed in August that the government would charge full market rent after one more year on the lease deal.

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Residents were told last week that the rent increase, combined with other factors, meant the facility will close next March. It comprises nine units, catering to elderly residents requiring low-level care.
Board member John McInerney said the rent increase could be up to $200,000 a year, delivering "the final nail in the coffin" to the struggling facility.
He said the community was "under attack" following the government's public housing sell-off at Millers Point.
Eileen Enslow, who turns 90 later this month, said the announcement left her and other residents "stunned".
"It's the last thing we could have expected. I don't know what they intend doing with the place," she said.
Millers Point: a community under the hammer
The Council of Social Service of NSW paid $24 a year for the Old Children's Court in Surry Hills, however that arrangement ends this week. The group will pay market rent at a new premises and has curbed spending and sought new funding to cover costs.
In the Illawarra, the non-profit Warilla Child Care Centre must pay market rent from December next year, bringing to an end a $1-a-year agreement in place since 1976.
The operator, Shellharbour City Council, will close the centre if an alternative operator cannot be found.
"Moving to market rental would increase the operating deficit, which would need to be met by either the council or passed on to families," a spokeswoman said, estimating that daily childcare rates would increase from $70 to $100.
It is understood the peppercorn rent paid by the Glebe Youth Service is also in doubt.
Greens MP Jamie Parker said the move to market rent was "a cruel ideological attack that will inevitably see these critical services close".
A departmental spokeswoman said it "understands the value these facilities provide to the community and will do everything it can to implement government's policy sensitively".
She said the department would retain the conditions of leases when they expire, "while negotiations take place on a new lease agreement".



RESOURCED: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/elderly-to-be-forced-out-of-millers-point-as-cheap-rent-deal-comes-to-an-end-20141017-1170sw.html

Millers Point public housing eviction: 'Why can't I live here with the rich people?' - audio slideshow

Millers Point public housing eviction: 'Why can't I live here with the rich people?' - audio slideshow
Working-class residents of one of the oldest suburbs in Australia say they're being torn from their homes to make way for the mega-rich. People living in Millers Point public housing, perched on Sydney Harbour, tell Guardian Australia what it's like to be removed from terrace houses they have called home for decades

Main photography by Nic Porter

RESOURCED: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audioslideshow/2014/oct/13/millers-point-eviction-sydney-australia-slideshow

Bulli public housing property sells for $860,000 at auction despite protest

A tiny fibro cottage in Bulli attracted a sale price of more than $860,000 along with a huge crowd on Saturday, as the Illawarra-based Public Housing Union staged a rowdy protest attacking the NSW Government for selling off public property.

In front of more than 100 spectators, the three-bedroom, one bathroom home, at Farrell Road, was auctioned for $861,500 – well above the reserve of $700,000.

About 20 protesters travelled from around the Illawarra to attend the auction, and carried placards saying “stop the sell-off of public housing” and “massively increase public housing now”.

“We built a garage, put down all the concrete, planted trees, put in carpet and put the gas on expecting to buy.''

During the official proceedings, auctioneer Lou Niceski had trouble being heard over the protester’s convenor Paul Matters who was shouting through a megaphone.

Mr Matters argued many Housing NSW properties like the Bulli home were being left vacant or sold off while there were still thousands of people on the government’s public housing waiting list and a growing number of homeless in the Illawarra.

Among the protestors were public housing tenants Eric and Rosemarie Earley, who have lived at a Woonona home since they arrived in Australian from Scotland in 1974.

 

Eric Earley: “When we moved here no one wanted to live here ... but now because the land values have gone up they think poor people don’t have the right to be here.”

 

A former steelworker and coalminer, Mr Earley claimed he had originally been told he would be able to buy his home from the government but that this opportunity had been taken away from him.


“We moved in and built a garage, put down all the concrete, planted trees, put in carpet and put the gas on expecting to buy,” he said.

“But then we were told we would never be able to buy, so we’ve been paying rent to them ever since.”

The 75-year-old said he was now worried he would be moved out of his long time family home, as many similar houses in Woonona and Bulli were being sold off by the government.

“When we moved here no one wanted to live here, because it was a slaughter yard but now because the land values have gone up they think poor people don’t have the right to be here,” Mr Earley said.
“But I am most worried about the people who are homeless – living on the beach at Coniston or under bridges in Sydney – when we’re selling off these homes or leaving them vacant for 12 months.”

The protesters – who were supported by a small contingent from Millers Point – planned to attend another Housing NSW auction at Point Street on Saturday afternoon.

The result of this auction is not known and Mr Niceski declined to comment on both auctions.
When asked about the decision to sell the Bulli homes, a Family and Community Services spokesperson said the government had sold 37 houses in the Illawarra over the past 12 months.

Thirty-eight new dwellings would be constructed in 2014-15, the spokesperson said.
“The department regularly reviews its property portfolio and makes decisions on sales based on the condition of the properties and their suitability for public housing,” a statement from the FACS said.

“The proceeds from the sale of the department’s properties will be reinvested in the social housing system to support the department’s housing priorities including redevelopment, maintenance and upgrading.”

RESORCED: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2618406/fibro-home-in-bulli-sells-for-860000-at-auction-despite-protest/#slide=1

Millers Point residents protest auction sale

Saturday, October 11, 2014

By Jim McIlroy

 

Residents and supporters of the Save Millers Point campaign protested outside the auction of another public housing property on October 8. About 30 protesters gathered outside Ray White Real Estate in Double Bay, holding placards and chanting, "Aristocrats, shame on you."

Millers Point public housing tenants' spokesperson Barney Gardner said: "Once again, this callous and greedy state Liberal government are selling off another of our 'assets'. This public housing property is being auctioned, whilst 57,000 are on the waiting list and countless numbers of our most vulnerable people sleep rough."

A statement by campaign supporter John Dunn on October 9 said: "Last night, an 1840s terrace at 30 Argyle Place, Millers Point, sold for $1.7 million, which was far above the expectations of the agents and the government ... There have been six house sales since the March 19 announcement [by the Coalition state government] to relocate all residents and sell all property in Millers Point within two years. All the houses sold since that time were already empty on March 19, and in fact three of them had been offered previously through auction marketing programs.

"It appears the government is very intent on emptying the [293] properties it owns in Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks, but much less interested in selling them. The government has remained silent on its reasons for emptying these properties. The economics of selling them and destroying a community do not stack up.

"It appears the government wants few witnesses to its actions in Millers Point. They are on track to sell only a tiny proportion of the properties they have emptied, but they are on the brink of crushing a community that is strong, diverse and supportive."

"It is time for the government to face the people whose community in Millers Point it is destroying, and to begin to provide answers," Dunn stated.

[Click here for more information on the Save Millers Point campaign.]

From GLW issue 1028

RESOURCED: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/57503
 

Millers Point terrace proceeds top $15 million after sixth state government auction

The auction sale of the sixth government-owned property at Millers Point secured $1.71 million at its Ray White Double Bay auction tonight.
The three-level, three-bedroom Georgian terrace property at 30 Argyle Place was built in 1846 for local publican, William Cole.

• 

It was offered through estate agent Craig Pontey with four bidders after the opening $1.4 million bid.

• 
• With the terrace (above and below) uninhabitable, the sale was the cheapest offering of the six, which kicked off in mid-August with a $1,911,000 sale.
• • 
  • 11 Lower Fort Street set a new suburb terrace record, selling for $3.95 million at auction in mid-September.

The Family and Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton, and Finance and Services Minister, Dominic Perrottet, advised the continued strong interest in Millers Point property listings had taken the total proceeds of six property sales to $15 million.

“So far, the pilot sales program has been incredibly successful in delivering much-needed funds to re-invest back into public housing stock across NSW,” Ms Upton said.

“It is estimated that approximately $100 million of public money would be required to restore and maintain the heritage fabric of the entire Millers Point portfolio over the next 15 years.

“But now with the injection of private investment from property buyers, the future for Millers Point is optimistic," she said. 

The NSW Government is committed to divesting the remaining 287 government-owned properties in the precinct over the next two years.

RESOURCED: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/finding/residential-investment/sales-and-auctions/36596-millers-point-proceeds-tips-15-million-after-sixth-auction.html

Unliveable Millers Point home sells for $1.71 million

Toby Johnstone 8th Oct 2014


This house at 30 Argyle Place, Millers Point, sold for $1.71 million at auction on Wednesday night.

Missing floorboards, cordoned off areas and a personal injury waiver did not stop buyers from paying $1.71 million for the latest Millers Point offering.

The Wednesday night auction of the crumbling three-bedroom terrace at 30 Argyle Place sold in excess of expectations, but considering other sales were more than $1 million above the price guide, it was relatively close.

Buyers who inspected the property told Domain they were given price guidance of "mid-$1 million".



Those who inspected the property had to wear hard hats and closed shoes.

 

A small crowd of 16 gathered at Ray White's Double Bay office for the auction, with entry restricted to vetted bona-fide buyers.

About 30 protesters from the Millers Point Resident Action Group were outside the auction holding signs and chanting "Aristocrats shame on you".

Bidding started at $1.4 million and four active bidders took the price up to $1,705,000 before it was called on the market




No more than four people at a time were permitted inside the structurally unsound house.

 The significantly smaller crowd on the night may have been due to the rundown condition of the property.

Those who organised a private inspection had to sign a waiver should "any personal injury or property damage" occur while inside.

They also had to observe 12 safety requirements, the first of which was that "all visitors are required to wear hard hat, appropriate clothing and covered footwear".

During those inspections no more than four people were allowed inside the heritage-listed property (including the agent) and no more than two people were allowed upstairs at any one time, lest they quickly return to the ground floor. Use of the stairs was strictly one person at a time.

The marketing material noted that the three-level Georgian home was "in need of substantial restoration".

It also suggested the home offered a "rare, affordable entry into this historic harbourside precinct".

The property has been the cheapest so far. The first public housing property to be sold at 119 Kent Street went for $1.9 million.

Millers Point: a community under the hammer

The hammer falling on Wednesday night marks the end of the first wave of public housing properties to be sold by the state government.

Minister for Finance and Services Dominic Perrottet said the sales of the initial six properties would act to test the market and help to shape future sales in the precinct.

The first six Millers Point sales have netted the state government just over $15 million. The average sale price has been $2.51 million.

There are still more than 200 houses to be sold within a two-year period in the Millers Point precinct.

Asked when the next public housing properties would come up for sale, a spokesperson for the Department Finance and Services said there was "no update for the next stage".

RESOURCED: http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/unliveable-millers-point-home-sells-for-171-million-20141008-1134xl.html 

NSW Government must account for Millers Point windfall

Nicole Hasham   October 3, 2014

To all but the most resolute critics, there is a plausible case to sell at least some Millers Point properties." Photo: Lisa Maree

Next Wednesday night's auction for 30 Argyle Place – a crumbling Georgian terrace at Millers Point, expected to fetch more than $1 million – will be strictly invite only.

In keeping with the NSW government's stern direction at five previous sales, media are banned, and pre-registered potential buyers must show photo ID at the door, lest protesters and other ne'er-do-wells disrupt the money-making.

The insistence on security measures akin to a heightened terrorism threat only furthers criticism of the government's imperious, iron-fisted public housing sell-off designed to prop up a system in financial disarray.

Imperious because despite the government having no business plan, obsolete public housing policies and a sell-off mentality that even the NSW Auditor-General described as "not financially sustainable", it is hurriedly offloading some of the state's most valuable residential real estate

Iron-fisted because notwithstanding advice from its own social planning experts and pleas from the public housing tenants themselves, the government has refused to set aside even a fraction of the Millers Point portfolio to allow some residents to stay, and save the suburb from becoming what even some real estate agents fear will be a characterless inner-city enclave.

Putting aside for a moment the human impact of the decision, let's look at the financial rationale.
To all but the most resolute critics, there is a plausible case to sell at least some Millers Point properties. They occupy some of the best harbourside land in Sydney, cost a motza to maintain, and test sales already show overwhelming buyer interest.

The first five properties netted the government more than $13 million and, if market conditions persist, more than $500 million will likely be raised when the sales program is complete.

As Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton is fond of saying, the money will be reinvested "back into the social housing system" to assist about 58,000 households on the public housing waiting list. That number is expected to blow out to more than 86,000 by 2016 unless things change dramatically.

Millers Point: a community under the hammer

But she has refused to detail exactly how that money will be spent. And in the absence of economic modelling or a social housing policy (the NSW Auditor-General called for one by last year; it is now 10 months overdue), how can those thousands of needy families be confident of being allocated a home at all, let alone one that meets their needs? Will the sales be timed to fetch the best prices? How many new homes will be built from the proceeds, and will they be located on cheap land at the city's fringe, or in the inner city, close to jobs and services?

The potential $500 million-plus windfall must also be considered in the context of the NSW public housing system's dire financial position.

It runs at a loss of $300 million a year, and much of the existing housing stock is run down. It is possible that in just a few short years, the Millers Point proceeds will be soaked up by that budget black hole, and the public housing system would remain in the red.

And then there is the issue of fairness. The government, despite receiving expert advice to the contrary, is insisting on selling all 293 properties at Millers Point and The Rocks, emptying the dwellings of their human contents.

For some tenants, the move means a welcome fresh start. But many do not want to leave. They may be elderly and sick, reliant on neighbours for support. Others have generational links to the area stretching back to the 1800s.

The government has hitherto been unmoved by expert advice that moving elderly residents may increase their risk of death, and that new, accessible seniors' housing at Millers Point should be built from the sales proceeds.

With its tin ear, the government appears intent on reaping every possible dollar from the Millers Point sale, and ploughing it back into an unsustainable system lacking transparency and a long-term direction.

Once 30 Argyle Place is sold and the pilot sales are complete, the government will have a better idea of the financial bonanza potentially coming its way over the next 18 months as the rest of the homes go to market.

Surely Ms Upton then has no choice but to answer basic questions about how she will fix the public housing system, bridge the woeful gap between supply and demand and spend the Millers Point proceeds so the immense disruption being wrought on a vulnerable, tight-knit community is not for nought. Perhaps some residents may even be allowed to stay.

Let's hope the answers live up to her department's own stated objective: putting people first.

RESOURCED: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/nsw-government-must-account-for-millers-point-windfall-20141002-10p7f3.html#ixzz3F7dWw1DR







 

Councils in Solidarity with Friends of Millers Point

Thursday 2 October

Representatives of local Councils, MPs, Unions, Tenants, members of the Arts Community and Advocacy Groups for Public Housing Tenants came together last night to form Friends of Millers Point and call for a halt to the sell-off of NSW Public Housing.

The NSW Government announced the sale of Housing NSW properties at Millers Point in March and has swiftly commenced sales of the multi-million dollar homes. The packed meeting unanimously adopted the Terms of Reference for the newly formed Friends of Miller Point and elected a Working Group whose membership includes Councillors from Leichhardt, City of Sydney and Marrickville as well as the Mayor of Leichhardt.

Leichhardt Mayor Rochelle Porteous said public housing was in crisis with extensive waiting lists across Sydney.

"This sell off of the Millers Point public housing by the NSW Government sets a dangerous precedent for any public housing in NSW,” Cr Porteous said. “Leichhardt Council has approximately 2,800 local residents in public housing. There is a chronic shortage of public, affordable and supported housing here in Leichhardt and right across Sydney. We need to protect our existing public housing.

The Inner West Tenant Group spokesperson, Lisa Smajlov, said her group was particularly concerned about the perceived lack of transparency in the State Government’s actions at Millers Point and the dangerous precedent that sets for public housing across the state.

“We are in solidarity with the tenants of Millers and Dawes Point and are concerned that the precedent set in The Rocks will be replicated in the Inner West. We particularly ask for transparency on the Housing NSW sell off, with no more closed auctions; transparency with tenants on the lottery process of reallocation; on the allocation and distribution of current and projected sales proceeds; on where the reallocated tenants are being moved to and how these sell offs are impacting on the waiting list,” she said.

Long term resident and spokesperson for the Millers/Dawes Point/Rocks Public Housing Tenants Group, Barney Gardner, said the action of the State Government over the past months was distressing for the Millers Point public housing tenants, especially the frail and elderly, which he said constitutes over half the residents.

“I’ve lived here all my life and what’s happening here is a disgrace,” he said. “There’s been no consultation. People are being bullied to leave; it’s causing anxiety and other health issues. People should be able to age in place with dignity.”

Mr Gardner said many residents had no blood relatives and regarded their friends and neighbours as ‘family’. “It’s displacing a whole suburb because public housing doesn’t fit with the high rolling clients at the new casino at Barangaroo. What kind of Government does that to its most vulnerable people?” Mr Gardner said.

For interviews, phone Barney Gardner 0402 550 603; Lisa Smajlov 0414 743 011; or Leichhardt Mayor Rochelle Porteous 0418 213054. Note: Terms of reference available on request

RESOURCED: http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/News-and-Events/Media-Releases/2014/Councils-in-Solidarity-with-Friends-of-Millers-Point