a roof for the rich,

scorn for the aged

Letter in The Age on 10 March 2007

The state government stands condemned for devising its plan to reduce the numbers of public housing tenants who will be housed on the new Carlton estate.
How did this happen that a Labor Government approves a developer handout of enough inner city land to build 550 private apartments for the rich yet reduces the public housing places by 200?
Our organisation is desperately seeking public housing for scores of people aged in their 70's and 80's who are told that the public housing waiting time is 'indefinite'. Yes, sometimes they even die before they get to the top of the waiting list.
The State and Federal Governments need to get real about the housing crisis and call for a national housing summit to address this desperate need in our community.

The Tenants Union should be ashamed for being an apologist for the government by suggesting they had no choice to reduce the numbers by blaming the federal Government for cutting funds to the states. That still does not excuse the land sale that should have been preserved for future public housing. Once we hand over precious inner city land, that could have built 750 public housing units over a number of years, we can never buy it back again.

Doreen Rushby
Chairperson
Housing for the Aged Action Group