4 June 2024
The Greens will ask the Government in Question Time this week to outline how it plans to support public housing tenants who will be forced to move when their properties are demolished to make way for new homes.
The ABC reported this morning that more than 300 residents at Seaton will be forced to move out of their homes during demolition and construction of new houses and townhouses as part of the redevelopment of the area. The Government has claimed alternative accommodation will be found for affected tenants as they were moved out in stages over a six-year period, but it remains unclear when residents will be expected to move and where they will be relocated.
“With record low vacancy rates and skyrocketing rent prices across SA, any uncertainty around ongoing tenancy can cause significant stress for public housing residents who risk poverty and homelessness if they are forced to leave their homes,” said Greens SA Housing Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.
“There are over 15,000 people on the state’s public housing waitlist. Will the public housing residents of Seaton be pushed back on to the waitlist, or can they expect to be relocated directly to a new home? And if so, where exactly will they be moved to? The State Government must clarify its transition plan and ensure that none of the existing public housing residents at Seaton are left stranded without a place to call home.”
In Victoria earlier this year, public housing residents filed a class action against the Victorian Government for plans to knock down and redevelop their homes.