“Sick of the empty promises”: Advocates call upon NSW Government to address the housing crisis

By JUSTIN COOPER.

Multiple advocacy groups have gathered in Sydney over the weekend, to protest the lack of sustainable affordable housing and renter initiatives from the Minn’s Government.

The Fix The Housing Rally united multiple student and worker unions, local advocacy groups and the Greens NSW, requesting immediate action to alleviate rent pressures and expand public housing.

Advocates gathered at Sydney Town Hall, with speakers from the National Union of Students, Maritime Union of Australia Sydney Branch, and Greens calling for stronger actions to be implemented in the upcoming state budget. 

Renters struggling from developers benefit

Greens NSW MP for Newtown and spokesperson for housing, Jenny Leong, spoke out in support of the rally and called out the current economic greed plaguing the housing market..

In a statement prior to the event, Leong said, “While renters are being hit with astronomical rent increases… banks, big investors and dodgy developers are getting rich off the housing crisis.”

Acknowledging the current cost-of-living pressures and the extensive waiting periods for people on public housing lists, Leong expressed the significance of the upcoming state government budget to provide assistance.   

“This budget the NSW Minns Labor Government has a choice – will they genuinely invest in action for renters and public housing tenants or will they continue to side with those profiting from the housing and cost of living crisis?” said Leong.

“The Greens want to see an immediate freeze on rent increases, a massive investment in public housing, and an end to the sell off of public land,” Leong continued. 

The Greens Party have continued to push for a national rent freeze and a minimum of $5 billion invested into affordable and social housing. 

Whilst the Minns Government has announced incentives for developers to construct affordable housing within complexes, the Greens have criticised plans for not properly addressing the current crisis with immediate action – such as a rent freeze.

“Sick of the empty promises”

Throughout the year, increased calls for housing and financial support have come from tertiary students. 

The National Union of Students have continued to push their Get A Room Campaign, which provides strategies to address the current cost-of-living crisis and housing affordability for students.

In a statement prior to the rally, NUS and Get a Room Campaign representative, Cherish Kuehlmann, spoke on the struggles facing renters. 

“Renters and owner-occupiers are being squeezed by cost of living and the housing crisis. We are sick of being blamed for inflation and punished by high interest rates while corporations and banks report record profits,” said Kuehlmann.

“Giving free reign to developers to build more dodgy apartments does nothing to help the millions of renters already facing exorbitant increases and financial stress in the here and now,” Kuehlmann explained.

NUS and activist groups have continued to express the lack of support from the state government, with Kuehlmann saying they’re putting “the Minns Government on notice to take action.”

“We are sick of the empty promises from Labor while they demolish public housing.”

Kuehlmann says further protest and the action from the community should be expected, until rent caps and public housing is properly expanded.  

Whilst Greens and housing advocacy groups have been pushing for the rent freeze earlier in the year, Labor governments have continued to object to such strategies.

The NSW Government is expected to announce their 2023-2024 budget on September 19, 2023.