The Victorian Greens have welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision protecting more than 30 “hold-out” households in North Melbourne and Flemington from eviction.
The Victorian Greens say that public housing residents shouldn’t be in this position in the first place. The injunction is another consequence of Labor’s disastrous plan which residents, activists, lawyers and the Greens have successfully delayed.
The Allan Labor Government has infamously refused to produce any documentation to justify the decision to demolish the towers, despite repeated requests.
Many residents say they have not been offered suitable homes as options for relocation, with a parliamentary inquiry hearing that Homes Victoria relocations officers had engaged in coercive and misleading practices when engaging with residents.
The same inquiry recommended that all demolitions be halted unless Labor provides documents to justify the demolition and privatisation of each building – which the Allan Labor Government has yet to respond to.
Victorian Greens housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:
“Residents shouldn’t be in this position in the first place. It shouldn’t be up to the residents holding out for their home, Labor shouldn’t be demolishing their home at all.
“This is just the latest in the laundry list of reasons that Labor’s mass demolition and privatisation of public housing is a total disaster.
“From top to bottom, this plan has never stacked up, forcing people from their homes, replacing public housing with private apartments, and handing prime inner-city land to property developers.
“Make no mistake, the only people benefitting from this plan are the private property developers Labor’s shaking hands with. Labor’s putting corporate profits ahead of human lives.