Charter for Public Housing
All the citizens of NSW have contributed to its wealth and have the right to share in that prosperity. This includes the right to a decent, well-maintained, affordable home for themselves and their families.
Governments at all levels must massively increase the funding to solve the housing crisis. Public housing represents the best way to help solve these massive problems.
Public housing is subsidised housing, not charity. It is a positive element of the whole housing system, as infrastructure and not welfare.
The NSW Government should allocate a portion of the large income stream it receives from stamp duty and land tax to build new public housing. Most of that revenue is derived from housing, and should be reinvested in housing, rather than be absorbed into consolidated revenue.
Public housing should not be only a safety net for vulnerable people but should be a significant element of the housing system. Rather than cater only for the disadvantaged, public housing should be available to everyone who needs it, including low income earners.
Community housing providers should not be used by government to offload its housing responsibilities onto the non government and charity sectors.
Governments must plan housing development in response to social needs, not the wishes of greedy developers.
Our immediate demands include:
- Government investment in building more new public housing stock.
- No sell off of public property or public lands.
- All current public housing stock to remain as public housing.
- No no grounds evictions; no forced relocations.
- Security of tenure for housing tenants
- Proper maintenance and repair for public housing. No more ‘demolition by neglect’
- Protection of long standing communities
Action for Public Housing will campaign publicly, in every way available to us, to win public support for these aims and to persuade political parties to adopt and implement them.