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Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Public housing sales a disgrace: NSW Labor

Labor and the Greens have criticised the NSW government's sell-off of public housing, which they say will decrease the state's capacity to house the homeless.
 
Up to 50 people attended a rally outside NSW parliament on Tuesday protesting the sale of public homes in the inner-Sydney suburb of Millers Point.
 
Opposition housing spokeswoman Sophie Cotsis labelled the government's decision to evict people from their homes "appalling" and "disgraceful".
"The government has stopped increasing the number of social housing dwellings over the last four years," Ms Cotsis said.
 
She said a Labor government would immediately stop the housing sell-off but declined to outline her party's policy for increasing overall public housing capacity.
 
"We have a housing deficit and there is no reason to sell properties when there are 60,000 people on the waiting list," Ms Cotsis said.
 
In 2014, the government signalled plans for a major overhaul of the public housing system, which included selling properties in prime real estate locations.
 
Family and Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton said last year the present system was unsustainable and the sales would be reinvested back into the system.
 
"For every house sold in Millers Point, you could build three houses in many other suburbs in Sydney," she said.
 
Greens member for Balmain Jamie Parker slammed the major parties for neglecting public housing.
"It's a disgrace that in one of the richest countries in the world, that we are leaving people in slum-like conditions," Mr Parker said.
 
Wendy Campbell, of Woonona East near Wollongong, said she was being relocated because her house was close to the beach and was "worth too much".
 
"I'm being forced to move from a property which is home. I'm Aboriginal and it's about the land under my feet. That is home," she said.
 
Comment has been sought from Ms Upton's office.

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