The Fast News - Compiled by Trevor Davies

Housing that’s affordable – we need more!

Alex Fleming reports in this issue that the State Government has introduced amendments to the Planning Act to make affordable housing more doable. Now the City of Sydney has introduced an amendment to its planning policies to enable the City West Housing Company to build affordable rental housing across the City of Sydney area. Clover Moore, in her email newsletter, says that affordable housing is accommodation for people on low to moderate incomes, including “key workers” such as teachers, police officers, nurses, cleaners and service, retail and hospitality workers. Failure to ensure an adequate level of affordable housing would lock essential low-income workers out of the city as housing prices and rents become increasingly unaffordable. Fast News overheard a conversation in a shop in Redfern where a woman was complaining that she couldn’t afford to buy a house in Redfern so instead she’s bought a house in Roseville!

Newtown  gets a  new station Redfern  waits

Most inner-city residents are no doubt pleased that Newtown will finally have a new station with disabled access. The money comes from the State Budget. Redfern will have to wait. Why? Because, we are told, the money for Redfern’s upgrade has to come from the sale of North Eveleigh. No-one can adequately explain why Redfern’s upgrade is tied to the sale of North Eveleigh. Especially when we are constantly told that Redfern is the third largest in the System.

With the Global Financial Crisis our upgrade may be a long time coming. Fast News can remember a meeting in Redfern Town Hall in 1997 when a  RailCorp spokesperson said that nothing would happen until 2007. It’s now 2009, and not much is happening.

Perhaps there is a lesson here. Our Government needs to be demanding action from RailCorp and even be prepared to lend the money to RailCorp. Which could be repaid when North Eveleigh is finally sold!

Source: South Sydney Herald September 2009 www.southsydneyherald.com.au