All five properties were located on Wellington Street and were sold on
October 30 by real estate agency Richardson
and Wrench. Numbers 51, 53, and 55 sold for $405,000, $425,000, and $440,000
respectively. Numbers 61 and 63 went to auction with the winning bids
registering at $370,000 and $360,000 respectively.
This trend, coupled with surging prices in Sydney’s real estate market, has ignited
fears that those at the bottom of the housing market will be under more
pressure to fnd affordable housing.
Kristina Keneally, the NSW Member for Heffron, told The
South Sydney Herald that the houses were of no beneft to the community as they
had fallen into a state of disrepair.
“They were sold because it would cost more to repair them
and bring them up to an acceptable standard. The money will then be reinvested
in the area,” said Kristina Keneally, the NSW Member for Heffron.
Ms Keneally said that the Government is committed to
ensuring that the amount of public housing in the Redfern-Waterloo area will
not decrease.
“Last budget committed $13 million for new housing stock for
Waterloo. The
current level will remain and will increase with the plans of the last budget
… and we will be converting a number of bedsits into one bedroom units,” said
Ms Keneally.
Mr Hartcher the Shadow Minister for Planning and Redfern
Waterloo said he was not happy with such a plan as it did not cater for the
Aboriginal Community or the existing community.
“We don’t believe that’s the real strategy. All public
housing needs to be renovated and they have a budget for it. It’s in their
interests to let the housing fall into disrepair simply for a good excuse to
sell them,” said Mr Hartcher.
“It’s part of an eventual plan to drive public housing and
the Aboriginal community out of the area. It’s part of an eventual plan towards
the development of the area,” said Mr Hartcher.
Questions have been raised as to whether this sort of
strategy has the long-term interests of the Redfern-Waterloo community as a
priority.
“Nothing has been built for five years… you’ve just got
this transfer of wealth where, instead of building public assets, they’re just
subsidising landlords to allow people who need public housing to live on their
properties. Paying rent like this is just lost money – there is no long-term
plan,” said Peter Valilis, Project Director for The Aboriginal Housing Company.
Source: South Sydney Herald December 2006