Rally Set As Waterloo Public Housing Tenants Continue Fight Against Redevelopment

Tenants across Waterloo are coming together to protect their community after a new round of demolition notices was issued this week, continuing a decade‑long battle over the redevelopment and future of public housing in Waterloo.

On Tuesday, 19 May, residents received letters containing “Notice of Intention to Carry Out Demolition Works” informing them of Homes NSW’s plans to demolish several properties across the area. These include 27 & 31 John St, 59 and 61–63 McEvoy St, 247–251 Cope St, 312–314 George St, and 339–341 George St, essentially evicting hundreds of tenants.

Waterloo South resident and Action for Public Housing spokesperson, Karyn Brown, stated that the community would continue to fight against another wave of forced relocations.

“We will not stop fighting this demolition. In a housing crisis, with homelessness rising, rents sky‑rocketing, demolishing perfectly liveable homes is criminal. A total of 750 tenants will be evicted to make way for private developer Stockland to build 3300 homes – 50% or 1650 of them will be over‑priced, luxury homes. They’re saying 20% will be ‘affordable’ housing, and 30% of the 3300 will be ‘social’ housing. Only 7% of this affordable housing is in perpetuity.” Brown comments.

However, the struggle for public housing over Waterloo South has been an ongoing issue since the redevelopment was first announced in 2015. Even then, residents were already expressing concerns that the plan could disrupt decades-old support networks and simultaneously force vulnerable people into a greater risk of housing instability.

Jenny Leong, NSW Greens MP, criticised the Minns Government, as back in 2023, NSW Labor had promised residents that they would save Waterloo’s public homes and pledged not to sell off any public assets.

“In opposition, NSW Labor called the Coalition’s plans to bulldoze Waterloo and evict the thousands who live there ‘disgraceful’ and promised residents they would fight to save their homes. Their backflip now that they’re in government is an unforgivable betrayal of these residents and a reminder that the modern Labor party is a pathetic neoliberal husk of what it once was,” says Leong.

A spokesperson from Labor for Ending Homelessness Inner West has also spoken out regarding the situation.

“Labor for Ending Homelessness Inner West commends community efforts to stop the demolition of the Waterloo South public housing blocks. Australia is facing a housing and homelessness crisis. We need to be building more public housing rather than tearing it down.”

Additionally, environmental concerns have been raised, with residents worried that the demolition will destroy Waterloo’s natural environment and be replaced with dense high-rise towers.

“BDAR waiver was based on Government acceptance of a highly questionable ecological consulting report; funded by the developer. The BDAR reports 30 native species (apparently plantings). Our current tally is 60 native species on-site overall, not 30. Most of the new species we found are clearly not plantings,” Action for Public Housing, Rachel Evans explains.

As the fear of eviction grows, Waterloo tenants and supporters are pushing back and are set to rally this Sunday, 24 May at 3pm, starting from Redfern and Regent Streets to McEvoy and Cope Streets.