- The Guardian
- Issue #2041
CPA members at the rally for Housing Justice rally in Sydney Town Hall on 11th February. Photo: CPA
About 300 activists gathered in Sydney Town Hall on 11 February determined to make housing justice a major issue in the upcoming State election.
The protesters are infuriated by the NSW Government’s program of selling off public housing. While $4 billion worth of housing assets have been sold, no funds have been injected into the sector and public housing has been left to rot through lack of maintenance.
Protesters were calling for housing justice for the thousands of women who suffer homelessness, justice for the housing tenants evicted by brutal government policies, and justice for communities disrupted by the government’s vandalism.
CPA members attended the rally and distributed a leaflet calling for a peace budget with “homes not submarines”.
The rally, organised by community group Action for Public Housing, was addressed by public housing tenants who are about to evicted from their homes of over 30 years.
Howard Byrnes from the CFMMEU described the support the union movement is prepared to give to the housing justice movement.
Rose Jackson, ALP NSW Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, spoke movingly about people in need of housing but did not explain what an ALP Government would do differently.
Jenny Leong, Greens spokesperson on housing, gave a rousing speech in which she promised to recreate the NSW Government works department instead of contracting out maintenance of public housing to the private sector.
Rachel Evans, Socialist Alliance candidate for Heffron, included LGBTQIA+ community and Aboriginal housing needs when she spoke in support of demands to defend and extend public housing, to end homelessness and for a rent freeze.
The rally then marched to the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park.
