Total Pageviews

Tuesday 25 November 2014

OUR PRE-ELECTION MESSAGE



 FOPHV is an independent grass-roots organisation made up of public tenants and our many supporters who believe that public housing is an essential public asset that should remain in public hands - management and titles.

We will talk to all political parties and encourage individual politicians - and we have met many who privately express unease about this policy direction - to use their influence to try and lobby for the need to save public housing.

If any candidate says something we think is important on this issue we will publish and discuss it. This does not mean we endorse their party. There are powerful interest groups in most of the political parties that want these transfers to go through.

After the election we will continue to work hard to get the politicians to see that the need to save public housing is imperative if we want to make sure that nobody is without shelter in a prosperous country like Australia.

Since housing is not working for many people in this country, we should not only save and increase the amount of public housing, but move away from it being seen as 'welfare housing'. As in other countries in Europe a modest little public housing flat, whose rents are linked to income rather than market forces, and with security of tenure, should be readily available to a far greater number of our citizens than what is presently the case.  
 
 

Saturday 15 November 2014

TURKEYS TEND NOT TO VOTE FOR CHRISTMAS


 


 

It is an extraordinary throw away line, but it does point to a truth that no-one else is saying ( publicly at least ) and that is that public tenants will lose important rights if they transfer to community housing. 

Tony Gilmore's article is not unsympathetic to the plight of public tenants and he has concerns about our rights being protected.

It is interesting that, as an expert in the field of stock transfers, he is expressing doubts about whether it is the magic bullet it is promoted as being. While all the states are 'marching forward to the brave new world of stock transfer', maybe we should pause and discuss such a massive change in housing policy direction while we still can.

For a Cook's Tour of the privatisation of public housing, state by state, read more ( it was written mid 2013 ) 
                                          --------------------------------------

Some excerpts..

'Are we driving change by thinking about what is best for tenants and communities, or what looks best for bean counters?'             

'Rearranging the Chairs.
Viewing Australia from outer-space, an inter-galactic housing policy traveller may raise the rather obvious point that stock transfer does not create new social housing. However many times we change the name of the landlord, we do not build any new homes for people in housing need.'

'Queensland Government recently announced that all public housing would be transferred from their management by 2020.'        

Dr Tony Gilmore
 
                                                         ------------------------------