Housing activists rallied in Redfern on April 12 to demand New South Wales Labor stop its planned demolition of public housing — anywhere in NSW — and stop pandering to developers.
After hearing from Greens Newtown MP Jenny Leong and housing activists, including Karyn Brown, Rachel Evans, Chels Hood Withey, Mimi Flynn and Denis Doherty, protesters marched to Waterloo housing towers — which are slated for demolition despite the housing crisis.
At least 150 Waterloo residents were given eviction notices in February, warning they would be removed from their homes within six months. Brown told the Green Left Show that residents have not been given any information about where they will be moved to.
The rally began with a poignant welcome to Country by Aunty Nadeena Dixon and speeches from Uniting Church minister Andrew Collis and Anabel Pettit from the University of Sydney Student Representative Council.
Leong said there is a “massive shortage” of public housing. “Every public home you demolish means more people waiting on the 10-year-long public housing waiting list.”
Hood Withey and Flynn spoke about the Chris Minns Labor government’s push to evict squatters from empty publicly owned homes in Lismore.
Evans, who is running for the seat of Sydney for Socialist Alliance, said Labor is attacking the very people who desperately need secure housing — by pushing ahead with the demolition of their homes.
“For the major parties, homes are things to buy and sell, but we are in a housing crisis not seen in our lifetime. More than 750,000 people need secure housing and 150,000 people are homeless, meanwhile Sydney rents have increased by almost $200 per week,” Evans said.
[Follow Action for Public Housing to get involved.]