Hundreds marched from Flemington public housing towers to North Melbourne public housing on October 19 to oppose Victorian Labor’s plans to demolish and privatise 44 public housing towers.
The Flemington and North Melbourne towers are scheduled to be the first demolished, to be replaced by private and social housing.
Residents were shocked by the announcement of the demolition plans 12 months ago. No justification for the demolition and no explanation as to what it will mean for residents has been provided.
Residents formed the Save Public Housing group, which is determined to stop the demolition and privatisation plans.
The Save Public Housing rally was MC’d by Greens MPs Ellen Sandell and Gabrielle de Vietri and heard from several public housing residents and campaigners.
Renters and Housing Union (RAHU) spokesperson Harry said Victorian Labor is not building public housing, and the demolition plans will put money in the hands of private developers.
“Private developers are controlling the market and people are living in rental stress,” Harry said.
“There is far more demand than supply and these plans will do nothing to fix the problem.”
Not-for-profit architecture and research firm OFFICE recently released a report debunking Labor’s claims that knocking down and rebuilding the towers is the only option.
The Inquiry into the Public Housing Renewal Program report said it is important to note the distinction between public housing and social housing, an umbrella term which includes community and affordable housing.
“The Government is using the social housing mix argument to justify its sale of public housing land,” it said. “Developers should not be developing our social housing policy and dwelling mix…
“The Government would not need to sell the public housing land to private developers if it increased the amount it was willing to invest in maintaining and building new public housing.”
Greens MP Samantha Ratnam pledged to protect the community from privatisation and stop the demolition of public housing towers.
“The Daniel Andrew’s swansong housing plan is continuing what the ALP have done to low rise public housing and continuing the biggest privatisation of public housing ever seen in Victoria,” she said.
Labor are following the Margaret Thatcher playbook for demolishing public housing, by running down homes and then claiming they are unsafe and cost too much to restore, Ratnam said.
Jordan van den Lamb, housing activist and Victorian Socialists candidate also known as @purplepingers, described the demolition plans as an economic, moral and social catastrophe that is destroying communities and calling it progress.
“This plan takes land that belongs to the people and gives it to corporations and won’t solve the housing crisis,” he said.
Beza, a resident of the towers, told her story of coming from Africa to Australia when she was 12-years-old. She worked as a nurse before she needed public housing as a single mum.
“Public housing saved my life,” she said. “It gave me support and a community and with the community garden for my son and myself and the community hub, it means I am not isolated.”
Margaret Kelly and Jeannie Erceg, residents of the previously demolished Barak Beacon Estate in Port Melbourne, spoke about their fight to try and save their homes.
With more than 120,000 on the public housing waiting list and 30,000 people homeless in Victoria, gifting public land to developers is not the solution to the crisis.