GOVT LETTERS ADVISING TENANTS OF POTENTIALLY DEADLY HEATERS INADEQUATE

GOVT LETTERS ADVISING TENANTS OF POTENTIALLY DEADLY HEATERS INADEQUATE

There are 6,525 Victorian public housing tenants potentially at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty Vulcan and Pyrox Heritage gas heaters in Public Housing properties. These tenants have been warned in a letter from the Department not to use the faulty heaters until they are tested and if necessary replaced.

In a statement to the ABC, a spokesperson for Public Housing said tenants were advised "not to use the heater and to contact the department if they require alternative temporary heating". But the department did not respond to the ABC's questions about how long it had known about the problem.

The DHHS is also doing a complete safety check of all other gas heaters in their properties, a further 47,000 bringing the total number of safety tests to 53,500.

According to Energy Safe Victoria, the recommendation is for all gas heaters to be checked every two years by a licensed gas fitter. What process does the government have in place regarding the servicing of its gas heaters in public properties, and has this process been followed?  Or is the government now embarking on a full safety check of all its heaters, because they have been prompted to do so, by the death of public tenant, Sonia Sofianopoulos from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2017?

The letters sent to public tenants regarding potentially fatal heaters falls short of the government's Duty of Care, because there is no adequate translation provided in the correspondence.

Public housing communities are very multicultural. Many tenants from migrant backgrounds would have had difficulty understanding the Department's letter. Since there is nothing in their language to immediately alert them, how would they know that their heaters are dangerous to them and their families?

With the cold weather coming, power bills surging  and windows closed to keep out the cold, the current risk of tenants using risky heaters that leak carbon monoxide due to being uninformed, is very real.

Here are pics of the letter - back and front. A second page has pictures of the dangerous heaters in question.

The translation advice on the back of the letter, see below, is stock standard, and is printed on the back of most DHHS communications with public tenants. It basically says that the front of the letter refers to matters of government accommodation such as rent, tenancy rights, housing and security and provides numbers where a translator is available. The body of the letter written in English concludes with the sentence 'If you do not understand this information please call this number"  ----  hardly helpful to tenants who can't read English.
In view of the fact that these are potentially lethal heaters, the government should have included a few sentences in the various languages spoken on Public Housing estates alerting them of the danger, such as 'The heaters pictured are potentially dangerous to you and your family as they can leak unsafe levels of Carbon Monoxide which can be fatal. If you have a heater such as these in your home DO NOT USE them. Phone this number for more    information---


Do we have to wait for further tragedies like public tenant Sonia Sofianopoulos, or the two little boys, Chase and Tyler Robinson who died of carbon monoxide poisoning while living in private rental accommodation?

 

 Sonia - described by neighbours as kind and generous,
always doing something for someone.” And below Chase and Tyler

 

We urge Martin Foley, ALP Minister for Housing, Aging and Disability, Mental Health and Equality to address Friends of Public Housing's concerns.

The newspaper articles linked below, talk of the hardship presently experienced by public tenants, many with disabilities and on low incomes, left without adequate heating during the cold weather.

                                          Sonia's neighbours

( Next blog post- Friday 18 May )

Sources
'Energy Safe Victoria's energy safety deputy director, Mike Ebdon said the recommendation that gas appliances be checked every two years for carbon monoxide levels and safety by a gas-qualified plumber would help save lives'.‘‘It is not a job for a handyman or a different class of plumber, it is a job that is only for a licensed gas fitter,’’ Mr Ebdon said.

'The coroner who investigated the deaths of two young brothers poisoned by a gas heater has urged statewide agencies to better educate people about the danger of carbon monoxide and to have home appliances serviced every two years.'

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-29/6500-public-housing-tenants-told-not-to-use-their-heaters/9598358     18 Mar 2018

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/sonia-s-death-from-heater-prompts-urgent-inquest-20180320-p4z5as.html  20 Mar 18

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/safety-check-for-more-than-50-000-public-tenants-amid-gas-heater-fears-20180405-p4z7vi.html   5 Apr 2018

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/public-housing-tenants-left-in-the-cold-amid-gas-heater-fears-20180510-p4zeij.html 11 May 18

FOPHV- SUBMISSION INTO PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

HERE IS FRIENDS OF PUBLIC HOUSING'S SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY INTO PUBLIC HOUSING.

IT BRINGS TO LIGHT ISSUES THAT ARE NOT BEING COVERED ELSEWHERE.

I think you might be surprised to learn of them.

Right Click on the links below, and open in a new window, the Parliament's website.
Then scroll down to Submission Number 131


https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/SCLSI/Public_Housing_Renewal_Program/Submissions/S131-Friends_of_Public_Housing.pdf

Below is an additional point of concern, regarding public tenants being told they might be put into private rental properties for the duration of the 'renewal'.

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/SCLSI/Public_Housing_Renewal_Program/Submissions/S131-Friends_of_Public_Housing-Att_4.pdf


Join our campaign - 'Hands Off Public Housing' which is growing all the time.
Contact housing.humanrights@gmail.com and we'll be in touch.

GREENS WIN NORTHCOTE-POWER OF LOCAL COMMUNITY

I've had a break from writing in this Blog, but certainly not from the campaign- we have been busy defending public housing and public tenants' rights and the campaign is gaining in traction with groups like Fair Go For Pensioners and Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church and Housing For The Aged Action Group ( HAAG ) coming together to fight the good fight. I'd especially like to  mention three amazing, hardworking and inspiring women- Lew Wheeler, Marion Harper and April Bragg from these organisations. Together with Friends of Public Housing Victoria, we have formed the campaign 'HANDS OFF PUBLIC HOUSING'. Another strong group arising is PUBLIC HOUSING DEFENSE NETWORK and I will talk about them more in another post.

Today I'd like to talk about the historic win by The Greens in Northcote. It is a win for indigenous Australians- Lidia Thorpe being the first Aboriginal woman elected to Parliament in Victoria. How good is that !!!

She also grew up in public housing, and spoke at our recent rally on the Walker St Public Housing estate, about how she wouldn't be where she was today if it hadn't been for public housing, and the understanding and respect she has for our strong communities. 

Yesterday I attended the polling booth at All Saints Church in Northcote, opposite the Walker St Public Housing estate. I was handing out 'How-to-Vote' cards for Independent candidate Joe Toscano - a staunch ally in the public housing campaign.

As the tenants trudged up the hill to vote- Africans, Muslims, Anglo public tenants, many with  families in tow, I thought, 'What great communities we have in Public Housing, and so unfairly stigmatised'. And on Voting Day, they were exercising one of the few powers that they do possess - to let Labor know what they think of their plans for public housing !! And they were mighty pissed off with Labor - that much was clear on the day! 

Both Labor and The Greens ran on a housing platform - with Labor focusing on young home-buyers and renters, basically ignoring public housing in its campaign altogether.... The Greens leading up to the election supported public housing and public tenants' rights and tried to expose some of the myths surrounding Labor's 'renewal program'.

All Saints Church held a sausage sizzle with home-made sandwiches, and its op-shop was open for business.

This church community have been wonderful in their support for public housing and their concern for their public tenant neighbours. Ms Alma Ryrie-Jones, a policy writer and church warden, has spoken publicly on the issue- highly critical of Labor's 'public housing renewal program' which would result in a huge loss of public land in exchange for a paltry increase in 'social housing'. In any case, we need true public housing - owned and decently managed by the government - NOT privatised 'community housing' or 'social housing'.

Alma is going to propose that a banner be put up across the Church which will read  "ALL SAINTS SUPPORTS PUBLIC HOUSING".

How wonderful for the public housing community of Walker St to know that this church community understands what is at stake, is concerned for the rights of public tenants, and basically 'has their backs'.

Taken from The Herald Sun, a quote by Lidia Thorpe

“The Northcote community has sent a clear message that they want Greens policies — ending Labor’s logging and creating a Great Forest National Park, fixing our overcrowded public transport, no sell-offs of public housing and proper rent control, and making sure schools don’t have to wait for a by-election to receive the funding they desperately need."

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I will write posts at least once a week, and include guests' posts, to keep you up to date on the Hands Off Public Housing campaign - stuff you are not likely to read in the mainstream news. Even when the public tenant vote most certainly helped to push Ellen Sandell across the line in 2014, there was very little mention of it by any of the newspapers in their analyses.We must be invisible to them or something.

I'm sitting here with my laptop on a pleasant Sunday in my little public housing flat. The local primary school is having a fete and I can hear the music playing and the children squealing as they play on the rides. I'm now going to take my neighbour's children across the road to the fete.

Isn't 'local community' a wonderful thing !?

Here they are at the Royal Melbourne Show. Till next time, Fiona

 

GRENFELL INFERNO

Many Australian newspapers have barely mentioned either 'public housing' or 'social housing' when reporting on the Grenfell Tower disaster. Why?

Everything to do with public housing in this country at the moment is highly charged and political and kept tightly under wraps. Grenfell Towers is UK Council Housing, similar to our Public Housing, and the Councils had outsourced its management to a private company called 'Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation'- KCTMO.

This tragedy must create the space to openly and fearlessly discuss the broader issues that caused and contributed to this horrific disaster. In Victoria we are poised to outsource management of Public Housing to housing associations, as the politicians try to convince us what a great success 'social housing has been in the UK' - NOT.

Modern societies are becoming increasingly divided by class- the haves and the have-nots. Governments shirk their responsibilities in favour of privatisation and outsourcing to corporations - and the people at the bottom of the economic scale are systemically subjected to lies, neglect, trickery and contempt. The poor are expendable.

There are certainly parallels between the situation in the UK and what is happening in Australia.
Below is a link to an article in The Conversation by Dr Kate Shaw - but articles such as hers are the exception rather than the rule...
https://theconversation.com/why-should-the-state-wriggle-out-of-providing-public-housing-79581?sa=pg1&sq=wriggle+public+housing&sr=1

An extract from the article,
'The Victorian government’s 2017 housing policy contains a bulk transfer of public housing to housing associations. Housing Minister Martin Foley’s explanation is that “the state is a terrible housing manager”.

Well, whose fault is that Labor!?  Honestly, what a pathetic excuse
- and a total abrogation of all responsibility.

The UK firm KCTMO might well be facing a criminal investigation since it is becoming clear that a whole history of complaints by tenants have been ignored, as well as inappropriate cladding installed.

Picture below - Protesters force their way into Kensington and Chelsea town hall on Friday to demand justice over the Grenfell Tower fire. 

In the wake of this disaster, another UK 'Social Housing Management' Corporation, called 'Nottingham City Homes' is installing sprinkler systems in 13 of its high-rise properties, admitting by this action that their fire safety systems were also inadequate and dangerous.

"Spending cuts, deregulation, outsourcing: between them they have turned a state supposedly there to protect and support citizens into a machine to make money for the rich while punishing the poor. It’s never described like that, of course. Class warfare is passed off as book-keeping. Accountability is tossed aside for “commercial confidentiality”, while profiteering is dressed up as economic dynamism."  Aditya Chakrabortty

UPDATE - KCTMO CEO QUITS to "concentrate on assisting with the investigation and inquiry”.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/30/grenfell-tower-management-chief-quits-to-focus-on-inquiry-robert-black-kensington

Excerpt
"The latest accounts filed by KCTMO with Companies House show that “key management personnel”, led by Black, shared £760,000 in salaries for managing properties in the borough.
The company was paid £11m by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to manage social housing in 2016.
KCTMO contracted the £10m refurbishment of Grenfell to a private construction firm, Rydon, which in turn subcontracted some of the work, in an illustration of the rewards on offer to private firms from social housing projects."
Sources
https://theconversation.com/why-should-the-state-wriggle-out-of-providing-public-housing-79581?sa=pg1&sq=wriggle+public+housing&sr=1

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3804090/who-owns-grenfell-tower-kctmo-properties/

http://www.nottinghampost.com/sprinklers-to-be-fitted-in-13-city-tower-blocks-after-grenfell-tower-fire/story-30400864-detail/story.html#2bcDfJzBAxgkrVOA.01

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/15/grenfell-tower-red-tape-safety-deregulation

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/20/engels-britain-murders-poor-grenfell-tower?CMP=share_btn_fb

GRENFELL TOWER

ADAM BANDT DEFENDS PUBLIC HOUSING AND PUBLIC TENANTS

SOMEBODY HAS TO SPEAK OUT AND DEFEND PUBLIC TENANTS FROM THESE PLANS BY MARTIN FOLEY AND VIC LABOR PARTY!

BIG THUMBS UP TO ADAM BANDT FOR DOING SO.
.


Adam Bandt has organised a public meeting on a huge multicultural public housing estate in Ascot Vale- home to 1,700 tenants.
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FROM THE FEDERAL GREENS
http://www.adambandt.com/ascotvalepublichousing
cut and pasted

Urgent Meeting: Save Public Housing in Ascot Vale

Labor is planning to sell off public land in Ascot Vale to private developers.

Labor's plan could force residents to move out of their homes and break up the existing community.

It’s likely some current public housing land will be replaced with high-rise private apartment buildings, and the community will lose valuable open space.

Replacement social housing may not stay in public hands or meet the community's needs.

Melbourne needs more public housing, not less.

Join Adam Bandt and the Greens at a public meeting to fight for public housing.

All welcome. Accessible venue.

WHEN           
May 27, 2017 at 11am - 12:30pm

WHERE 
Wingate Avenue Community Centre (Men's Shed)
13A Wingate Ave
Ascot Vale, VIC

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In February this year 2017 Adam also issued a Press Release when Martin Foley, Vic ALP Minister for Housing revealed his plans for 11 public housing estates - plans that will reap megabucks for consortiums, developers and companies and deliver stuff-all in addressing the housing crisis, housing the homeless, or alleviating the 34,000 on the public housing waiting list.

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/reform-growth-and-better-outcomes-for-social-housing/

http://www.adambandt.com/170223_2

Why was there no Media coverage regarding the press release from Adam Bandt's office ??

On the so-called 'public housing renewal', Labor says that there will be a paltry 10% increase in the building of  'social housing' on these sites. Do not assume this to mean public housing!!
And on what is now precious public land, expect huge private development.

As we have seen in Ashburton, this can also result in an actual reduction in the capacity to house people due to changes made in the number of bedrooms - replacing 3 bedroom homes with 1 and 2 bedroom dwellings.

Community Housing Associations are tendering for these PPP contracts.
This is the corporate face of Community Housing. ( ie Property Developers.)

Wake up and smell the coffee!

The 'Renewal of Public Housing' under Labor appears to be a front for the privatisation of public housing and public land- the displacement of vulnerable people and families- and the gentrification of the area. And on a truly massive scale!  

1,100 public housing homes to be demolished. According to tenants, many of these were recently fully renovated and most are safe and comfortable.


http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/over-1100-public-housing-homes-set-for-redevelopment/

Adam Bandt - 'There was a time long ago when the Labor party believed in building public assets like public housing, but it seems they are now just following the Liberals’ privatisation agenda.'

FOPHV - OUR MESSAGE TO THE ASHBURTON COMMUNITY

COUNCILS OPPOSE ALP ON ITS SELLOUT OF PUBLIC HOUSING

I recently made an appointment with my GP, who blithely advised me to give it all away ( ie the Save Public Housing campaign ) if it was causing me stress. That's very easy for him to say! General Practitioners in Australia make around $200,000 per year plus. They live in comfortable luxury homes and their children have the benefit of a stable and secure home-base - an essential foundation for their future life. Working class children need this same security and stability which is one reason why we have public housing!

So no, we can't just walk away and allow this public asset to be privatised ( in sneaky and deceitful ways ). Friends of Public Housing is made up of a great team of people devoting their time and energy to this cause -and we are growing all the time.

Here's an Update

HOMELESSNESS
We have been involved in opposing the changes to the legislation regarding homelessness. Another  meeting is being held at the Town Hall on Wednesday 24 May at 3 pm  which we only found out about by word of mouth. This public meeting has not been well advertised.  It should have been, especially when you consider the amazing outpouring of submissions received. Many point out the obvious to Council- that the proposed changes do not address the cause - and speak of the need for more Public Housing. The public is clearly against the proposed changes to the legislation. It will be very dictatorial of City of Melbourne if it goes ahead with it anyway.

Says The Age  "About 84 per cent of the 2556 people and organisations that responded to a call for feedback were against the camping ban.
"A move to charge homeless people $388 to get their confiscated possessions back from the council received almost no support, with 98 per cent against it."
"Numerous legal groups, including Victoria Legal Aid, were united in the view that the laws are a breach of human rights."

RALLY FOR MORE AND BETTER PUBLIC HOUSING IN ASHBURTON
FOPHV attended the Rally organised by the Ashburton Residents Action Group.We received a warm welcome from the people of Ashburton. In the next post I will put up the Certificate of Appreciation which we sent to them.

This rally was featured in a very positive pro-public housing episode of A Current Affair, which made a refreshing change from the usual public housing/ houso-bashing we see all the time in the media.

Check it out.
https://www.9now.com.au/a-current-affair/2017/clip-cj1irkqsv00160hqiuifjq71o

There were some incredulous reactions to this episode of A Current Affair. Some people think life begins and ends with their property portfolios. Don't they have any overall vision for society?

The following mindset is not uncommon.
"Just watched A Current Affair on 9view, an episode recently on Ashburton in Melbourne,where rich residents are campaigning for MORE public housing to be built in their Suburb.'
 'I really can't believe home owners want more houso's'
 'Its only going to drive property prices down not up'.
'The episode showed rich home owners with houses 2 million plus protesting in the streets for more public housing in their Suburb,quite ludicrous,unless of course there is a hidden agenda?'
'Must be a hidden agenda surely? Can't see myself investing in Ashburton now though.'
'Strange that the home owners in Ashburton actually WANT more houso's in their area? Personally I wouldn't want it in my backyard !!!'
And from a Chadstone resident 'one of the reasons why Chaddy skyrocketed so much was due to the ex commission houses being purchased and knocked down."

It is tiresome that the 127,000 Victorians living in public housing are constantly referred to as 'housos' -used as a derogatory term.

Positive Comments 'I applaud your community for its humanity.'
'Keep up your true Aussie spirit!'
'Under the current government, it seems developers win out over democracy every time"
'Height & bulk restrictions should apply to all development and planning should be fully transparent. This is over-development to line the pockets of a few rather than for the benefit of many'
'I think this area should remain as public housing only. By all means, the area needs to be dramatically improved, but it should only be used to provide quality public housing. The number of units/flats could be increased up to 100, but only as low rise, quality housing. The land is public land and should remain so.'

 
















Residents of Ashburton marching with their scathing and sarcastic banners.
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To learn more of the grievances towards the ALP, the Mayor of Ashburton, Phillip Healey wrote-

"There are few more serious breaches of faith in a democracy than governments lacking transparency and using extreme powers to force through a decision at the expense of the community.

The Victorian Government’s approach and proposal to redevelop public housing at Markham Estate in Ashburton has been ill-thought-out from the very beginning:

The Minister for Planning took away Council’s planning control and made himself the responsible planning authority for the site.

The Minister refused to allow the community to have the usual rights which apply in any other planning process. The community is barred from their normal notification processes or to an independent appeal process.

The plan proposed an excessive number of private housing apartments. We were told that this is necessary to pay for the cost of building public housing. Meanwhile, a similar public housing project in Darebin is not subject to funding from private housing sales.

The development plans lodged with Council include 27 failures to comply with the Boroondara Planning Scheme, 30 failures to provide adequate information and 56 failures to comply with the Minister’s own newly released guidelines for new apartments.

The fact remains that cramming 250 dwellings on what used to be a 56-unit development is ludicrous. It will cause traffic nightmares and will destroy our beloved neighbourhood character.

The cost neutral economic basis for the size of the development includes the cost of land that was bought and paid for by the Victorian taxpayers many years ago. This cost should be excluded, enabling a smaller scale proposal, more in keeping with the area.

Over the years, we have lost a significant number of public housing dwellings within the City of Boroondara. With nearly 2000 people in inner-eastern Melbourne on the waiting and transfer list for public housing, Council supports increased public housing in our city.

What we don’t support is sham consultation and the destruction of our neighbourhood character and amenity."
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Further positive developments in the fight to save public housing include a proposal by Moreland Council opposing Vic Labor's plans for a public housing estate in Moreland. Adam Bandt's office has organised a 'Save Public Housing' public meeting as a response to secretive plans by Labor regarding a huge public housing estate in Ascot Vale - home to 1,700 public tenants from a rich diversity of cultures.

We will keep you posted..

Sources
http://www.payscale.com/research/AU/Job=General_Practitioner/Salary
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/proposed-homeless-camping-ban-in-melbourne-cbd-faces-strong-resistance-20170330-gv9ou9.html
https://www.9now.com.au/a-current-affair/2017/clip-cj1irkqsv00160hqiuifjq71o  comments