[Greens-Media] Sylvia Hale MLC: Move the roadblocks: Affordable housing now says conference

[Christopher Holley]

15 February 2007   - For immediate use   
            
Move the roadblocks: Affordable housing 
now, says conference
 
The Greens Spokesperson on Housing, Sylvia Hale, today strongly
supported the inspiring suggestions coming from the Living
Co-operatively conference, held over two days this week at Petersham
Town Hall.
The conference began by watching the Sorry address from Canberra, and
welcomed the PM’s commitment to improving Indigenous housing.
Participants listened with great interest to keynote speaker Swedish
guest Gun-Britt Martensson, a former Mayor in Sweden and member of the
535,000-member strong HSB Co-Op.
Gun-Britt told the conference that in Sweden 10% of people live in
co-ops as tenant-owners who manage their own housing, offer co-ops for
the elderly and also manage housing homeless people.
“Why aren’t these housing choices available for Australians who want to
live in a community which is affordable? Why are our only alternatives
the isolation of anonymous overpriced rental units, or crushing
mortgages?”, said Ms Hale.
“Many in local government are clearly keen to do more, however there
are roadblocks – and one of them is called Frank Sartor.
“Several Councils such as Waverley have been instructed by Minister
Sartor’s Planning Department to take affordable housing provisions out
of their plans. Parramatta Council waited four years for an answer to
their request to be able to levy for affordable housing! That gives you
some idea of the Planning Minister’s attitude”, said Ms. Hale.
Speaker Professor. Andrew Jakubowicz, said Planning Minister, Frank
Sartor had segued from the progressive to the dark side, calling him the
‘Keith Windschuttle’ of NSW politics’.
The other major roadblocks identified were the price of land, planning
rules or zoning which may not encourage co-operatives, and the general
attitude of the NSW Government, including Premier Morris Iemma’s lack of
an Affordable Housing Strategy, last promised in 2006.
“The property and developer lobby are another roadblock because they
stymie not-for-profit housing, as it would provide people with an
alternative to their ‘housing product’. Who pays the piper, calls the
tune in NSW”, said Ms Hale.
The conference heard about many successful DIY communities such as
those in the small co-op program financed by the Office of Community
Housing, Christie Walk Co-op in Adelaide, and the rural land-sharing
communities in northern NSW. Many speakers emphasised the community
spirit they find in the co-operative housing movement.
Finally, the can-do Swede, Martensson, told the conference participants
to ‘develop more self-confidence…stand up for yourselves…be a pain, so
government must take notice!’
“We need to support these communities, get these roadblocks and
dinosaurs out of the way, and build affordable and sustainable
communities where people want to live,” concluded Ms Hale.
 
Contact: 02 9230 3030 or Hazel Blunden on 0437 092 154