Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Eviction Plan for Oldest Suburbs Massive Land Grab

Peter Mac

The NSW government plans to evict more than 400 public housing residents from Sydney’s historic Millers Point and The Rocks within two years, and to sell off their houses and flats.

The move would destroy a community whose ties stretch back five generations.

The Sirius complex was built to rehouse public tenants who had been displaced after a controversial redevelopment of the historic Rocks suburb during the 1960s and ‘70s

Residents received the catastrophic news of the government’s decision in a letter pushed into their letterboxes or under their doors, like an advertising leaflet. There was no prior discussion. It was a grossly insensitive act and an insult, but it also showed that the government is worried about resistance.

The government claims that rental subsidies are too high in these areas, and that selling the properties would provide funds for construction of new public housing, and would eliminate the high costs of maintaining the old buildings. They warned that resistance would slow down the provision of new homes for the 27.000 people on the public housing waiting list. (Rental subsidy is the difference between market rent for the area and public housing rent.)

However, there is no guarantee that the sale proceeds would be ploughed back into public housing. They’ll almost certainly just disappear into consolidated revenue.

Moreover, not all the buildings concerned are old. The Sirius building, a reinforced concrete block of 79 flats, (which featured in Ruth Park’s novel Playing Beattie Bow) was built in the 1970s.

And whether buildings are old or new, failure to maintain them over a long period actually increases costs, because what was at first a simple remedial process eventually becomes a major exercise after surfaces or building elements fail.

Successive governments have not allocated sufficient funds for necessary works to the public housing stock in the area, and have let some of the buildings become uninhabitable. The O’Farrell government is using the dilapidated condition of some of the 298 dwellings as a convenient excuse to forcibly evacuate and sell off all of them.

The purchasers of the 50 buildings sold to date were certainly not deterred by high maintenance costs. They couldn’t wait to get their hands on buildings that have wonderful character and magnificent views, and are a short walk from the heart of the city’s central business district, including Barangaroo.

One estate agent gushed: “It’s a spectacular area and once it’s gentrified … it will be such an exclusive suburb”. A house recently sold by the government was auctioned for more than $3 million, and the maximum price paid for a property in Millers Point in the last 12 months was $6.3 million.

Location, location!

The Rocks and Millers Point, Australia’s oldest suburbs, have seen major battles over recent decades because of their high real estate value. They were originally inhabited mainly by the families of wharf labourers and storemen, and many of the houses were provided for them by the former Maritime Services Board.

In the 1970s, the NSW government approved a major redevelopment of The Rocks that would have involved demolition of most of its early buildings. That appalling initiative was defeated after a campaign that involved concerned citizens, the National Trust and community organisations.

The campaign was led by the Builders’ Labourers Federation, which placed the world’s first green bans on the proposed demolition sites. That caught world attention and spurred the formation of “green” parties in Australia and overseas.

The union was attempting to preserve the rights of the residents, not just to save the buildings. Last week Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, wrote: “Many residents in the neighbourhood have connections that go back generations. They can talk vividly about Sydney’s history as a working harbour. They have an irreplaceable connection to their local neighbourhood.”

Millers Point is listed on the State Heritage Register as “a living cultural landscape”. The listing provides the buildings with a degree of protection against demolition or abuse, but the community which also contributes to the area’s significance is now under threat.

Peter Phibbs, professor of urban planning at Sydney University, described the eviction plan as clumsy, inhumane and inconsistent with the government’s policy regarding ageing. He commented acidly: “It seems to be driven by people trying to get their hands on some quick cash …”.

More than 40 percent of the current residents are now aged 60 or over. A government report warned that the mental and physical health of residents with long-term ties to the area, especially the aged, would be damaged by enforced relocation.

It also noted that low-income rental stock in the city of Sydney had fallen by up to 45 percent between 2006 and 2011, and recommended the provision of affordable housing in the area for some residents.

The Minister for Community Services, Pru Goward, replied that the government would “make every effort to assist tenants to find a property close to their preferred area,” but would not build any more public housing in the Rocks or Millers Point.

Resist and defeat!

The government certainly has an obligation to use its resources wisely, to satisfy the demand for affordable housing. However, it is also obliged to respect residents’ emotional and cultural links to places their families have called home for generations.

But the government intends to sell off the properties to the super-wealthy as fast as possible, and is far too impatient to even allow the current residents to live out their time in dignity in their current homes.

Implementation of the Rocks/Millers Point eviction plan would set a precedent for the eviction of tenants from public housing in the inner city suburbs of Balmain, Glebe, Kirribilli, Woolloomooloo, Redfern, Surry Hills and Waterloo, all areas of rapidly rising rental prices.

Moreover, the logic of the government’s economic rationalist argument is that all public housing tenants should be relocated to the areas of cheapest rent, the city’s outermost suburbs.

The eviction plan has been condemned by community organisations, the Council of the City of Sydney and the Tenants Union of NSW. The NSW Council of Social Services stated that the plan dumps the “social mix” policy that is crucial for the success of public housing projects.

A rally was held last Friday and others are planned for this week. Guardian readers are urged to attend and to participate in this vital campaign to save public housing in The Rocks and Millers Point.

Russy's Daughter

This letter, penned by a daughter of Millers Point, was recently sent to the Sydney Morning Herald. As far as we know, it has not been published. It should be.

I sit here with tears in my eyes so I cannot pretend that I do not have a deeply personal and emotional connection to the proposed removal of the social housing residents of Millers point. I grew up in a terrace in Lower fort street and my mum still lives there as she has done so for 40 years, laboriously maintaining and restoring her home (largely herself). Even if she is forced to move away, that house will always be our family home and the fact that she doesn't own it does not make that connection or the emotional distress any less valid.

When I was growing up our terrace was, like many in the area, a Maritime workers owned boarding house populated by single old men who had worked on the wharves. These men had lived here through their working life and now into their retirement. Our men were "Jocky" and "Bluey". "Jocky" was a Scotsman who I loved dearly. We watched Sale of the Century each evening and shared chocolate biscuits. "Bluey" would say "respect your mother" if I gave her too much lip and would ball room dance with me in the kitchen at Christmas.

Mum assumed responsibility for our terrace when the former landlord moved on and it was always understood that these men would stay in their home with us as long as they wished. They were family to me and my childhood was infinitely enhanced by their presence and changed by their passing. We still refer to those rooms as Jocky's and Bluey's. Times changed as did the government department overseeing the property, but it was always our home. That is our story and if you scratch the surface in Miller's point there are a myriad of colourful, complex and moving stories to be told. There are of course such stories everywhere, the difference is here all our stories are entwined and many go back generations.

I do not live in Millers point and have not done so for many years. The announcement last week was not something which was completely unexpected. Indeed the community has been living in the shadow of the threat of this for years. A shadow of uncertainty which has pervaded everyday life and had a detrimental effect on many.

Never the less, reading the media over the last few days I have been profoundly moved. These are people I know. People who are part of the fabric of this community and hence my life. I see people in the articles who helped out at the canteen when I was a primary school on Observatory hill, people who brought my dog back when he escaped because they knew he was mine and where we lived, people who STILL stop me in the street and tell me I haven't changed since I was a baby. Living outside this community now I can fully appreciate how unique that experience is anywhere, let alone in Sydney today.

The letter which was handed to my mother last week said that attempts would be made to relocate her "close to family and friends". I am my mothers family. I would welcome her anytime but she does not want to leave her home. Not because it is in a street has recently been deemed a desirable location (when 30 years ago most did not see its virtues) but because it is her HOME. Much as we love each other, My mum does she does not want to move. Her friends and support networks are in the Millers point community, her heart is there, her past and her memories are there and she has always seen her future. As do many others with deep connections to one another and to the area. The human impact cannot be underestimated.

How many people know their neighbour these days? How many would give them the keys when they go away? They do in Millers Point. People here care about each other. They attend the funeral when a member of the community passes away. A good many came and celebrated my 1st AND my 21st birthdays in our backyard. They know the older members who need a helping hand or should be checked on if they haven't been seen on their daily walk. If an young community member is courting trouble, elders of the community will engage them or their parents and express concerns. Until the local corner store was sold as a private residence in the last few years the owners would run a tab if someone forgot money for milk or offer some of their home made falafel for you to try. Millers point is a community in the true sense of the word. Community does not mean people who live geographically close to one another. It is something which evolves over time if nurtured and it certainly cannot be manufactured or constructed.

New residents to the community have told me in the park that they are thrilled to have such a welcoming and supportive community. Indeed many have expressed that they have moved here because of this. Miller Point truly is, as the state heritage register described it, a ''living cultural landscape'' with ''an unusually high and rare degree of social significance''. I can tell you this as I was fortunate enough to grow up in this community, observe the changes over the last 30 years and now visit it regularly with an outside perspective.

Miller's Point is the type of community I think most people would want their children to grow up in and their parents to grow old in. A community spirit born of continuity and time. The Millers point community can, and has evolved. From the earliest public housing and Maritime workers accommodation, it has become a mix of corporate real estate, private and social housing. My understanding is that this integrated model is now widely recommended to prevent social housing area becoming socially depressed.

Surely the largely long term and often elderly residents should be treated with more compassion and respect than is being shown. Equally a community without youth has no future and this should also be considered. The significant economic benefits of true community, and the burden this removes from social resources should be supported, allowing our city to become more viable, integrated and community minded. Millers Point is an integrated social success. It should be recognised, celebrated and not destroyed.

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Barry O'Farrell Government has Terminated an Inner City Community Millers Point and The Rocks.

19th March 2014..... A sad Day after Barry O'Farrell Government have Terminate an Inner City Community Millers Point and The Rocks.

We are not talking 1 or 2 or 30 houses but a whole suburb. 293 public housing properties at Millers Point and The Rocks, Gone. The whole community moved to WHO KNOWS WHERE.

Does anyone know if a whole Sydney suburb in recent history was been evicted on this scale.

WHY

"Rich People Want To Live Here Now, You Need To Leave.”

http://junkee.com/an-entire-suburb-in-sydney-is-being-evicted/31371

Sticking it to the man!

Resourced: http://landlordwatch.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/sticking-it-to-man.html

As a student of law, my primary area of interest is employment and industrial relations law. But I will never forget a job interview I had where a lawyer said I had the personality for litigation. I didn’t get the job, but I still chortle over that remark.

As I discussed in my last post, the NSW Liberal Government is planning on selling almost 300 public housing properties at Millers Point, The Rocks, and Gloucester Street. Minister Pru Goward said the main reason for the sale was the high cost of maintaining heritage-listed homes.

That got me thinking. If the NSW Government is not complying with its obligation to maintain properties, it might be leaving itself open to attack. Housing NSW has obligations under statute and contract. Under section 63 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), a landlord must provide and maintain residential premises in a reasonable state of repair. This is a term of every residential tenancy agreement. An action could be based on tort like breach of statutory duty.

If NSW Housing is breaching its legal obligations, the time might be ripe for some kind of group claim. Grouped proceedings provide a remedy where many persons have suffered small losses and it is not economically feasible to recover via individual proceedings. This might be the case here. Part 10 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) allows for grouped proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court.

That is not to say there aren’t any obstacles. Residential tenancy laws usually specify landlord and tenant disputes are to be resolved by tribunals rather than courts. Under regulation 23 of the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2010 (NSW), the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) has jurisdiction to determine tenancy disputes. It is limited to $30,000 for rental bond matters and $15,000 for other matters. Can we get around this? You might not know what a claim is worth before an order is actually handed down. And there is no requirement that a claim be for a reasonable amount. And plus, a claim on behalf of a group might just be more than the set amount.

Grouped proceedings could facilitate access to justice for the residents of Millers Point, and other public housing tenants. It is a David and Goliath fight. Grouped proceedings could potentially mediate the power imbalance between tenants and the government. Tenants could consolidate their power base by litigating as a group. This is a simple matter of power in numbers. There are other advantages. One advantage is that time limits can be avoided. Residential tenancy laws usually specifies that claims must be lodged within a certain time frame. Another advantage is that group members need not be named. This means tenants would be protected from retaliation.

I don't know whether these arguments would fly, but a grouped proceeding could form part of a well-stocked arsenal.

Monday, 24 March 2014

Money, money, money

Resourced: http://landlordwatch.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/money-money-money.html

In my last post, I explored the relationship between the media and government. I analysed an online article about public housing tenants that trash houses. Little did I know NSW Community Services Minister Pru Goward was softening up the public for a sale of public housing on Sydney's harbour front. The article by the Daily Telegraph is an obvious example of forward-thinking strategy.

The NSW Liberal Government is planning on selling almost 300 historic properties at Millers Point, The Rocks and Gloucester Street. The sale includes the landmark Sirius building at The Rocks, a concrete brutalist high-rise apartment complex close to the Harbour Bridge, containing 79 units.

The sale is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a blatant cash grab. Professor Phibbs from the University of Sydney says the policy seems ‘driven by people trying to get their hands on some quick cash rather than thinking about things from a policy perspective’. If you watch the video of the announcement, Minister Goward provides three reasons for the historic sale. They are as follows:

1. the cost of maintaining heritage-listed buildings is exorbitant
2. the distribution of housing subsidies is inequitable
3. public housing needs to be sustainable in the long-term

Minster Goward made the announcement while her henchmen delivered the news to devastated tenants. There was no consultation. There was no procedural fairness. I have seen this tactic before. Holdfast Bay Council held a confidential meeting to evict permanent residents when it approved a redevelopment of a caravan park.

Minister Goward tries to frame the sale as a matter of fairness and equity. I am not convinced. And plus she looks like Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmatians. The resemblance is quie remarkable. But I suppose she can’t help that. The Barry O’Farrell government is selling off houses when the waiting list is miles long and New South Wales has a huge homelessness problem. It’s classic political strategy at its best. They are saying they are helping tenants, when really, they are hurting them.

Minister Goward said proceeds from the sale of the historic properties would be reinvested into the social housing system. Somehow I doubt this very much. Shelter NSW's executive officer Mary Perkins says,

We've had a long-time issue with the transparency around the promises that have been made about the sale of stock. They say 'we'll sell this to gain this', but there's never been any evidence produced about the gains...At the end of the day, we've got a really big concern about the geographic divide happening in the city, between these areas [that] are for rich people and these areas [that] are for poor people.

Diversity usually results in better outcomes for the community as a whole. We know that housing estates simply do not work because they localise entrenched disadvantage.

Despite overseeing similar sell-offs, the NSW Opposition has condemned the Liberal Government’s decision. Shadow Minister Linda Burney said Minister Pru Goward could not be trusted to reinvest any proceeds. The Liberal Government has overseen an increase in the public housing waiting list, and a decrease in the number of houses it is building. It has cut $42 million from the budget for maintenance, and $22 million from the budget for building. A report by the NSW Land and Housing Corporation shows that the O’Farrell Government has cut more than 1300 properties from its books.

I am not convinced by the argument older properties are more expensive to maintain. A diverse stock of housing will always involve a range of costs. I seriously doubt NSW Housing will be selling off old government houses in less well-to-do areas of Sydney. The government should not be able to get away with manufacturing excuses by failing to comply with its legal obligation to repair. We know that public housing is ageing and increasingly unfit for purpose. If state and territory governments keep selling off public properties, there is going to be none left. The NSW Government is clearly trying to push a core government responsibility off onto private providers. It is privatisation by stealth.

I am also concerned that the human rights of the tenants are not being respected. They are being evicted from their HOMES. It is not humane or compassionate to move elderly residents away from their communities and social ties. Many residents at Millers Point have connections to the area going back generations. The O’Farrell Government has even ignored the advice of its own consultants on evicting vulnerable tenants with minimal damage to their health and well-being. If things get that far, I would suggest pickets to stop police evicting residents from their homes. I don’t think the police would be too keen on physically ejecting the elderly and disabled.

I really hope I see media outrage. So far there has been significant coverage. On the whole, it has been fairly sympathetic to the plight of residents. I only hope that it continues. A community action group has already sprung up. You can like the FB page here. We have two years to turn this thing around. So let's do it.

They can't turf us like rubbish, say angry Millers Point residents

March 23, 2014 Georgina Mitchell

In for the fight: Wendy Ford. Photo: Ella Rubeli

The tiny hall in Millers Point held hundreds of residents, all angry at the state government's decision to sell the area's public housing.

The crowd gathered at lunchtime on Saturday, furious at the prospect of having to leave the houses some were born in. And they didn't hold back.

''These people cannot come in and walk all over us and turf us out like we're rubbish,'' an elderly resident said to cheers. ''We're not going down without a fight,'' another declared.

The heat of the Abraham Mott hall radiated from the packed crowd, who filled all the seats, leaving only standing room. MP Alex Greenwich urged the able-bodied to vacate seats for the elderly as speakers took turns at the podium, offering legal help, solidarity and support from unions.

Among the protesters was Glenda Cox, whose family has lived in the Millers Point area since the 1860s, working on the docks.

''I've been here in the one house for 61 years,'' Ms Cox said. ''I'm 63 now, and my daughter's done the family tree right back to 1860 in The Rocks and Millers Point area. We've worked and lived here all that time.''

I've been in the one house for 61 years": Glenda Cox with her daughter Natalie outside their home. Photo: Ella Rubeli

Permanent housing in The Rocks was offered to dock workers and their families as an incentive for the long hours and dangerous work they undertook.

But with the properties run by the Housing Commission, the tenants now face the prospect of being evicted. Many say they helped to make Sydney the city it is today -

''Where will they go,'' asked Chad Ford, whose mother Wendy lives down the road from Ms Cox.
''They've lived here all their lives - it's all they know.''

Ms Cox said people once looked down on The Rocks as a lower-class area of Sydney, but it has become more appealing because of its history and harbour views.

''In my time, they didn't want to know you,'' she said. ''My father used to walk the Hungry Mile on the docks looking for work.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/they-cant-turf-us-like-rubbish-say-angry-millers-point-residents-20140322-35a6l.html

Letter from the editor: Public housing sell-off a painful debate

Jennifer Duke | 27 March 2014

Change is underway in Millers Point as 293 properties, currently public housing supply stock for 400 residents, are being sold off to make way for private investors and buyers to snap up the offerings. While this makes sense, when looking at the blunt numbers provided by the government, it has pulled at the heartstrings of many causing a debate that's painful to read.
I've been known to use the phrase "investing is about the numbers" multiple times, and stand by it. However, property is unique as a financial choice in that it affects culture and the living conditions of those around the country.
Underestimating the role of a home in continuing family heritage and providing values is far too easy. Regularly, I see listings and stories of homes that have been in a family for decades that, upon a relative's death, are up for auction. They're regularly presented as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and are often some of the most stunning homes. My heart aches for those that have to sell their history and memories with them. But at least this is, largely, a choice.
For those in public housing in Millers Point there is no choice, and they certainly do not appear to be going without a fight - there was a rally today at 11am, for instance. Sadly, with little of their own assets to boast of and clearly no written-down formalised rights to stay in these properties - what more can they do?
Minister for Family and Community Services, Pru Goward, publicly put out a statement regarding the high value property assets on Sydney Harbour's foreshore, that is those at Millers Point, and the subsequent reinvestment of the proceeds into social housing across the state. This logic truly cannot be argued with. The values in Millers Point have terrifyingly increased over the past years, as you can see in the suburb data here, and so it makes economical sense that 293 properties across Millers Point, Gloucester Street and the Sirius building in The Rocks were focused on for a sale.
Goward pointed to the high cost of maintenance and investment required to improve them to an 'acceptable standard' as part of the reasoning.

"Maintenance on properties in Millers Point costs more than four times the average for public housing dwellings in NSW. In the last two years alone, nearly $7 million has been spent maintaining this small number of properties. That money could have been better spent on building more social housing, or investing in the maintenance of public housing properties across the state,” Goward was cited as saying in the release.

"When the previous Government began selling off public housing in Millers Point in 2008 it let other properties here fall into disrepair. That has now left us with repair bills as high as $800,000 to restore some of these terrace houses to heritage standard."
Having jumped on to the New South Wales waiting list to have a look at what public housing contestants, because really that's what it feels like, have to deal with - I was stunned. Many areas have little remaining for certain housing stock with less than a five year waiting period. Some are waiting for even longer.
Goward points to 57,000 families on the waiting list across the state - a terrifying proposition for anyone looking to get housing soon. It must also be nerve wracking to read of the state of public housing, with the ABC reporting last year that the list of those waiting could grow by 30,000 people in three years unless changes are made to a number of aspects of the system.
Goward continued with citing the numbers of the costs of holding these properties. However, this is where the picture becomes more interesting.

“Subsidies to tenants in the last year alone reached $8.89 million, with individual tenants receiving subsidies as high as $44,000 per annum. This compares to subsidies of $8,000 per year in Campbelltown, $7,000 in Gosford, and $11,000 in Wollongong. For every subsidised tenancy in Millers Point, the Government could assist five tenants in Warrawong, or 3.5 tenants in Newcastle or Minto," she noted.
A blog post from Brown Couch, the voice of the Tenants Union of New South Wales, sheds light on another aspect to these numbers. They explain that these figures should be looked at as an accounting entry, rather than actual money spent.
The figure is created as the difference between market rent for the property, as assessed by the NSW Land and Housing Corporation, and the rent paid by the tenant, rebated according to the usual rules.

"The market rent for a property does not reflect the cost to the NSW State Government of providing housing or related services at the property. The market rent for a property can go up – and hence the 'subsidy' go up – without any change in the housing being provided at the property, or in Housing NSW's costs," the blog post explains.
"It is important to note too how much tenants have paid towards that real cost of housing. There are 409 social housing tenancies in the properties at Millers Point and The Rocks. We understand the average income-related rent paid is about $100 per week, so, over the past two years, tenants have paid about $4.25 million in rent – in other words, not quite two-thirds of the repair bill."
How this then works out on the books looking further is, as such, uncertain.
As an editor with a budget to manage, and as an everyday resident who has my own personal budgets and targets to maintain, it's logical to find the supposed drain, put a stop to it and move funds into an avenue where they will be more effective. That this makes financial sense is clear to me, despite the welcomed debate of the finer points - and the TUNSW does raise some important points. The simple situation, however, is that these are now lucrative financial assets that can be sold to funnel money back into creating more properties for those on the seemingly endless waiting list.
Goward expressed her acknowledgement that many tenants have lived in this housing for a long period of time, and the difficulties they may face moving elsewhere, but expressed her belief that this was the right decision and that a relocations team would assist the current tenants, including covering costs of moving and reconnection fees.
The fact remains that without ownership of these assets, the tenants do not have rights to them. That is how the property world works at present. Just as a tenant in a privately owned rental in the mainstream market does not have the ability to force a landlord to allow them to retain their tenancy and not to sell the home or let a different tenant live there, a public housing tenant also does not have these rights.
A letter written to the Sydney Morning Herald, shared by the TUNSW's Brown Couch blog, discussed the culture of the area.
"I grew up in a terrace in Lower fort street and my mum still lives there as she has done so for 40 years, laboriously maintaining and restoring her home (largely herself). Even if she is forced to move away, that house will always be our family home and the fact that she doesn't own it does not make that connection or the emotional distress any less valid," the letter is quoted as saying.
It notes that the letter received by her mother said that attempts would be made to relocate her close to her family and friends.
It is likely that this isn't the end. The Herald also recently reported that Glebe, Redfern and Kirribilli are the next sites that could face similar treatment.
Just yesterday, State MP Alex Greenwich slammed the decision as a form of 'social cleansing', and I have read references from a number of different individuals who declare she's ruining the culture on purpose for the property bigwigs in Millers Point and other city locations. These claims are currently unfounded, and when looking at the pure mathematics it makes sense to direct funds where they can have the biggest benefit for the greatest number of people. Of course this isn't just about maths. However, sadly, providing roofs over the heads of the needy at some point needs to trump the heart-wrenching, and they are truly hard to read, discussions of individuals' connections to an area.

It's a situation that is tearing many in two as the best decision is argued out - progress and the situation of the masses versus culture and the individual stories of those residents, and it's certain that someone was always going to leave the debate unhappy. But we need to remember that there are the stories of 57,000 or so others on the waiting list that are likely to be just as awful to read.

RESOURCED: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/finding/location/nsw/29662-march-27-letter-from-the-editor-millers-point-public-housing-sales-under-scrutiny.html

Sunday, 23 March 2014

Money, money, money Bad Landlord Australia

We've had a long-time issue with the transparency around the promises that have been made about the sale of stock. They say 'we'll sell this to gain this', but there's never been any evidence produced about the gains...At the end of the day, we've got a really big concern about the geographic divide happening in the city, between these areas [that] are for rich people and these areas [that] are for poor people.

Resourced: http://landlordwatch.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/money-money-money.html

See More:

Millers Point Residents have been Delivered its COWARDS PUNCH

A King Hit from O'FARRELL & Pru GOWARDS PUNCH.
Wednesday 19th March 2014

Social Housing

I cannot believe what I am hearing on talk back radio the shock jocks are out for the residents heads, the residents are vilified by the wealthy and the other have nots telling another group of have nots that they should not be there, there is no class war in Australia is there.

I have never heard so much anger towards group of residents, innocent people.

What did the residents do to deserve this. It’s the housing system at fault not the residents they are in a system.

NSW Housing has mis-managed maintenance in all areas of Public Housing.

If housing NSW did regular maintenance and check-ups of work completed by their contractors there would not be an issue with maintenance, as some of their work is not satisfactory, if it is reported to the department it is ignored I don’t think there Housing client service officers have a degree in building maintenance or understand what is required.

There is one report that is saying for every house in Millers Point they spend $44, 000 per year. It’s a lie some of those houses have not had proper maintenance for over 30 years. Someone is lieing here.

The residents are not bad people, the houses are not that bad and the community is not that bad.

Tuesday 25th March 2014

I am collecting my rubbish bins from the street tonight, and I over hear two well dressed guys walking up the street, say there's one of those housing pricks, look at him, they shouldn't be living here, cant wait to they are turfed out.

Miilers Point Public Housing Sale

Big End of town takeover... Jamie talks a bit of truth.

Social Cleansing

Social cleansing (Spanish:limpieza social) is the elimination of what can be considered "undesirable" social elements, such as criminals and the homeless. organizations have engaged in social cleansing in

Millers Point was delivered its Cowards Punch Wednesday 19th March 2014

I love this article.

Battle for Millers Point lost when Pru Goward took control

By Kirsty Needham

The battle for Millers Point's long-term public housing residents to stay was lost when disgraced former finance minister Greg Pearce was sacked, Fairfax Media can reveal.

The Land and Housing Corporation had received heritage office approval last year to construct a building at Millers Point to accommodate up to 140 long-term residents - avoiding the need to evict elderly residents from the suburb when their terraces were sold.

The advice to the Office of Environment and Heritage in mid-2013 was that a facility would be built within the Millers Point precinct to re-house selected tenants. The Heritage Council would vet its design. The housing department was preparing to lodge a subdivision application for the building.

But two days after Mr Pearce lost his ministry in August, the housing corporation was transferred from Finance into the control of Community Services Minister Pru Goward.

Ms Goward instead favoured removing all public housing from Millers Point, which is set to become one of Sydney's richest addresses.

Ms Goward announced last week that all buildings would be sold off and 400 tenants would be evicted over the next two years, including the descendants of the original Millers Point maritime workers.

After details of the plan to allow 140 tenants to continue living in Millers Point were revealed to Fairfax Media, Ms Goward's office responded, saying the idea had been discarded.

The government has not provided details of where evicted tenants will be relocated, but Fairfax has learnt Treasurer Mike Baird will sign over the title to a large parcel of vacant public housing land in Glebe to community housing groups within weeks.

The O'Farrell cabinet approved construction plans for 153 public housing units, 95 affordable housing units and 247 private apartments on the site last December.

Fifteen public housing apartments in Cowper Street, Glebe, were demolished by the state Labor government in 2011. Labor evicted 130 tenants but promised to build housing on the site with the proceeds of money raised by the sale of 99-year leases to Millers Point terraces.

But the land was left vacant for years as a development application was lodged and contested in court.

Non-profit community housing groups City West and Bridge Housing will construct and manage the new properties, which will be partly funded under the National Rental Affordability Scheme. The units will include lift access for elderly people living alone.

If construction starts this year, the project is expected to be completed in December 2016, which coincides with the timeline for moving elderly Millers Point tenants.

Although the Millers Point public housing, and its community, falls under the protection of the NSW Heritage Act, Ms Goward's office did not consult the heritage office before announcing plans for the sell-off last week.

Heritage guidelines warn that action to disperse the community should be avoided. A spokesman for the Office of Environment and Heritage said on Saturday that ''the listing includes significance associated with the resident public housing community''.

Heritage policies for Millers Point would need to be reviewed in light of the sell-off policy, he said.

Decision breaks a thread to the past

Former City of Sydney historian Shirley Fitzgerald says the decision to evict the historic maritime community from Millers Point is ''appalling''. Another to attack the O'Farrell government is prominent architect Philip Thalis. He described the abandonment of public housing at Millers Point as ''rapacious''.

Ms Fitzgerald, whose book on Millers Point was the basis of its state heritage listing in 1999, said the people were as important to its historical value as the buildings.

Millers Point was the first time a whole precinct - not just individual buildings - was protected under heritage law. The listing says its social significance includes the continuing presence of descendants of the original workers, and its unity and authenticity of community.

''It's not just that they are descendants of the maritime workers, but that governments in the early 20th century seemed to understand that you had to have a place for workers to live in the city, not just the rich,'' Ms Fitzgerald said.

Mr Thalis, the architect who won the original Barangaroo design project and conducts walking tours of the area, says Millers Point is protected under the Heritage Act precisely because it was ''the first real public housing in Australia'' and its value was ''unparalleled''.

The Office of Environment and Heritage on Saturday admitted that the heritage listing included the resident public housing community. A spokesman said the Heritage Council would be asked to review the listing because of the government's decision to remove these people. Conservation guidelines would also be reviewed to put in place a heritage strategy that would ''interpret the period of public housing''.

After the plague hit Millers Point in 1901, the land was resumed by the government, and the government architect built housing for waterside workers. Control of the houses was later taken over by the Maritime Services Board. Public housing tenants from the NSW waiting list only began to live in vacant houses from 1985, when the Housing Commission took over the buildings. But the maritime descendants continued to have the right to pass on tenancies through their families.

The decision to evict the entire community ''shows the gap between enlightened NSW governments and agencies over 100 years and the more rapacious attitude that prevails today'', Mr Thalis said.

Millers Point was a ''magical place'', Ms Fitzgerald said. ''These properties will be worth a motza. But my view is that a city that only responds to market imperatives is not a community,'' she said.

Historian Christopher Keating, who researched Millers Point's early colonial history, said: ''There's a long history of publicly funded housing for poor people in this place. It's a bit rich to say, 'How come they continue to get subsidised housing when someone in Barangaroo will be paying millions for an apartment?' Why can't poor people live in a nice place?''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/battle-for-millers-point-lost-when-pru-goward-took-control-20140322-35a6f.html#ixzz2wgwMLJgr

Motion to Halt the Sale of Public Housing in Millers Point

Wednesday 19^th March 2014
Turf them all out. Big End of town takeover...
Ignore all impact statements O'Farrell Government rides rough shot over residents.
There is No Transperancy in the O'Farrell Government.

Following the shock evictions, local Millers Point residents sit in question time in NSW Parliament House. I believe the minister Hon Pru Goward was not acknowledging them. She didn’t listen to a word. She sat there talking – and laughing – all through it. NO COMMENTS From Minister.

Thank God for Alex Greenwich lending his voice to the cause.

The review of the Millers Point houses began soon after the Government came to power. The O'Farrell Government has bent over backwards to give a billionaire a casino; it is now going to turf out its neighbours—400 vulnerable and elderly people. Where are the priorities? Many in the community were willing to work with the Government to reach an outcome that benefited all. They hoped that only some vacant homes would be sold, with no tenant forced to relocate to another area away from their services and social and family networks. Working with the community, we got the review of properties to include a social impact assessment, which looked at the social costs of displacing vulnerable tenants from their homes and tight-knit community. Despite the Government's initial promise, the department did not make the social impact assessment public for comment before making its decision.

In response to my application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act, I was told that the assessment findings were commercial-in-confidence. I agree with the community that this is an excuse to hide the devastating social impact that selling tenants' homes will have. What about an open and transparent government? I have asked the Information Commissioner to review this absurd refusal. I understand that the social impact assessment is now online, but, of course, the residents have not been notified of that and on my reading of it a number of the recommendations made to the Government have been ignored. No decision should be proceeded with until the wider community is aware of the social costs of this sale.

Millers Point has a long history of providing low-cost housing, originally to wharf workers. The Maritime Services Board also gave properties to the then Housing Commission to manage as low-cost housing. The State Heritage Register recognises the importance of Millers Point's social history—it is listed for its cultural and built heritage. The National Trust has described this community as a "living treasure". The announced sales will destroy this living heritage, which will be a loss to the wider community. Social housing tenants are allocated to areas based on need, including being close to health services, work or a family member being cared for. The inner city is close to transport, jobs and support services and as a result there is a huge waiting list. It can take up to two years for people with urgent needs to be allocated housing and from five to 15 years for others.

It will be impossible to relocate more than 400 tenants in the inner city. Those who are old, frail and socially isolated, or who have a mental illness or an intellectual disability, will be pushed to the fringes of the city, away from the support networks they have worked hard to build. Some tenants have been in their homes for years—some for five generations. The impact on them is unimaginable and costly. It is a furphy for the Government to say that these are all luxury homes with harbour views worth $1.3 million. Many are low-key small units that provide vital low-cost inner-city housing to key workers. One-bedroom apartments without views in the Sirius building and the walk-ups are not worth close to that amount.

Another argument was that maintaining these heritage properties was too costly. The Sirius building and other public housing properties are modern and accessible. They are not falling down and do not cost more to maintain than properties in other areas. This is nothing more than social cleansing of the inner city masked with misinformation. The sale of 293 homes in only two years will flood the market and reduce values. In the long term the Government will lose out with this fast approach, while putting tenants through the unwanted ordeal of leaving their homes and community in a rush. This small and stable public housing community has a long history of connection and social support. There is no history of communal conflict, violence and antisocial behaviour. Millers Point tenants care about and contribute to their community.

Successive governments have failed to maintain Millers Point assets, allowing publicly-owned properties to become run down. Tenants are not responsible for this failure, nor are they responsible for the vandalised homes that have been left empty and allowed to fall apart. The tenants are continuing to be punished. Millers Point is one of the oldest and strongest communities in Sydney. The health and mental costs of the impact of today's announcement on residents cannot be assessed. The sales program will soon begin and a tight-knit community that is vital to the social fabric of the inner city will be devastated.

Housing

- See more at: http://www.alexgreenwich.com/motion_to_halt_the_sale_of_public_housing_in_millers_point#sthash.IOcqe8Yn.dpuf

Jamie Parker MP speech to NSW Parliament.

Millers Point Public Housing speech in Federal Parliament.