Public housing sold to private owners

All five properties were located on Wellington Street and were sold on October 30 by real estate agency Richardson and Wrench. Numbers 51, 53, and 55 sold for $405,000, $425,000, and $440,000 respectively. Numbers 61 and 63 went to auction with the winning bids registering at $370,000 and $360,000 respectively.

This trend, coupled with surging prices in Sydney’s real estate market, has ignited fears that those at the bottom of the housing market will be under more pressure to fnd affordable housing.

Kristina Keneally, the NSW Member for Heffron, told The South Sydney Herald that the houses were of no beneft to the community as they had fallen into a state of disrepair.

“They were sold because it would cost more to repair them and bring them up to an acceptable standard. The money will then be reinvested in the area,” said Kristina Keneally, the NSW Member for Heffron.

Ms Keneally said that the Government is committed to ensuring that the amount of public housing in the Redfern-Waterloo area will not decrease.

“Last budget committed $13 million for new housing stock for Waterloo. The current level will remain and will increase with the plans of the last budget ... and we will be converting a number of bedsits into one bedroom units,” said Ms Keneally.

Mr Hartcher the Shadow Minister for Planning and Redfern Waterloo said he was not happy with such a plan as it did not cater for the Aboriginal Community or the existing community.

“We don’t believe that’s the real strategy. All public housing needs to be renovated and they have a budget for it. It’s in their interests to let the housing fall into disrepair simply for a good excuse to sell them,” said Mr Hartcher.

“It’s part of an eventual plan to drive public housing and the Aboriginal community out of the area. It’s part of an eventual plan towards the development of the area,” said Mr Hartcher.

Questions have been raised as to whether this sort of strategy has the long-term interests of the Redfern-Waterloo community as a priority.

“Nothing has been built for five years... you’ve just got this transfer of wealth where, instead of building public assets, they’re just subsidising landlords to allow people who need public housing to live on their properties. Paying rent like this is just lost money – there is no long-term plan,” said Peter Valilis, Project Director for The Aboriginal Housing Company.

Source: South Sydney Herald December 2006