Andrew Chuter argues we need a similar approach to the Gough Whitlam government which, in the 1970s, bought 200 homes in Woollomooloo and 700 properties in Glebe and converted them to public housing.
There is strong evidence that property developers had significant involvement in the lobby group pushing for the Metro plan. Andrew Chuter and Jim McIlroy report on a community meeting rejecting the public rail sell-off.
Emily Bullock, a Glebe estate resident and Hands Off Glebe activist said the NSW government had a fight on its hands and called for an expansion of public housing.
Other speakers included Newtown MP Jenny Leong MP, campaigner Judy Mundey, Louisa Biddington from Eveleigh estate, Evan Van Zijl, from the Australian Unemployed Workers Union and John Engler from Shelter NSW, who received applause as he reflected on the government’s back down on affordable housing at Cowper Street.
On March 22, the government announced a change to the housing development on Cowper Street and Wentworth Park Road, Glebe, saying it would now deliver 100% new social housing. Its original plan was for 70% private housing and 30% social housing. This project will now deliver a total of 75 new social homes, which is 56 more than originally proposed.
“It’s not just wrong at this time, during a pandemic, or at a time when the public housing waiting list is over 50,000 applicants long. It’s wrong in principle.
“That’s because you can’t fund public housing by selling the very land it sits on. It’s like putting ads on the ABC to pay for the news. A public good requires public investment,” Chuter said, adding, “That’s what we pay our taxes for”.
Chuter demolished the government spin that claims it is increasing the number of public housing dwellings being provided.
“It’s not the absolute number that matters; it s the proportion of public housing as a fraction of all housing that matters. That is what determines the overall social accessibility of public housing.”