Media Release
Friday, October 24, 2014
A rally to be held at 12 noon on Saturday 25 October on the corner of Bay and Wentworth Streets, Glebe will demand a massive increase in spending on public housing and its maintenance and an immediate start to building public housing on the Cowper Street site. Greens MP for Balmain Jamie Parker and ALP candidate for the seat Verity Firth will speak at the rally.
A recent NSW Council of Social Service report shows that that 56 per cent of people who are eligible for social housing in NSW are missing out.
Yesterday Minister Gabrielle Upton announced a rise of 3.6 per cent in the public housing waiting list to 59,000 people. The average waiting time is four years with some unfortunate families waiting up to 10 years.
The waiting list for public housing is now over 27,000, with an average waiting time of four years.
The NSWCOSS report also reveals that New South Wales has nearly 900,000 people or 14.6 per cent of its population living in poverty, more than any other state.
“Enough is enough,” Denis Doherty, spokesperson for Hands off Glebe, said. “The NSW Government has failed to respond. They do not even have a housing minister.
“Hands off Glebe asks why the Baird Government can’t build new public housing on the site in Glebe bounded by Bay and Cowper Streets. Following demolition of good homes and the loss of a community, trees, gardens and birds, the site has remained vacant for four years.
“It has become painfully clear that the Baird Government does not care about public and affordable housing.
“Instead they are running down public housing with sell offs, demolitions and evictions while the housing crisis deepens,” Denis Doherty said.
“With the Cowper Street site, the Baird Government has continued a policy begun by the previous NSW ALP Government of planning to sell off half the site to private developers, but has left the site empty for years.
“Hands off Glebe has been campaigning for this site to remain devoted to public and affordable housing but the Government continues to ignore our demands.
“We feel it’s time to take more action to bring attention to public housing. We do not intend to drop off our campaign any time soon,” Denis Doherty concluded.
For more information: Contact Denis Doherty 0418 290 663
Visit our website: www.glebegrapevine.org