Image: Alice Ansara in Jump for Jordan
BY LUCAS BAIRD
The iconic building’s time could be up after the Minister for Environment and Heritage, Mark Speakman, decided against listing it as heritage. Photo: Hpeterswald
The Shadow Minister for the Environment and Heritage has slammed the Government’s decision to forego heritage listing the Sirius Building in Millers Point.
On the 31 July, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Mark Speakman, put to bed hopes that the Sirius Building would be listed as heritage drawing outrage from the Millers Point Community and the Shadow Minister, Penny Sharpe.
Ms Sharpe said that this was an example of “Mike Baird happy again to sell of public assets” and accused the government of pursuing a “short term bottom line”.
Ms Sharpe alluded to the storied history of building and its construction as a result of the green bans in the seventies and said that it “means nothing” to the Premier.
“They are willing to ignore any and all advice be it social, environmental, heritage or otherwise,” Ms Sharpe said.
“The Sirius building was the result of a commitment to build public housing in the city after the green bans campaigns in the 1970’s. It was a commitment to public housing tenants and the NSW community that housing would be provided to those who needed it.”
Members of the community agree with Ms Sharpe that the historical context of the building needs to be considered, but are also concerned with the potential damage this could do to the community
The Save Millers Point group are determined to make sure the Sirius Building remains in Millers Point and have said they would continue to lobby the government to consider alternatives to demolition or selling the building.
“Perhaps we should be asking whether another Green Ban for Sirius is needed forty years after The Rocks Green Bans were lifted?” they said.
Convenor of the Millers Point, Dawes Point and the Rocks Public Housing Tenants group, Barney Gardner said that the news was devastating to the community.
“It is all about the money. Once upon a time when the government was selling properties, now they are selling the land as well,” he said.
“It [Millers Point] is not theirs to possess. If anything it belongs to the people, the indigenous and local population.”
This negative reception hasn’t stopped Mr Speakman from defending the decision. He said that by listing the site as heritage, the value of the land would drop by $70 million.
Mr Speakman said that this $70 million could be used to build around 240 more social housing units.
“I am not listing it because whatever its heritage value, even at its highest that value is greatly outweighed by what would be a huge loss of extra funds from the sale of the site, funds the government intends to use to build social housing for families in great need,” he said.
“This doesn’t mean a practice that money trumps heritage. Here there is a dramatic contrast between whatever heritage value Sirius has and what would be the huge loss of funds for getting people who need a helping hand off the social housing waiting list.”
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