
Issue No 44		03 March 2000

Olympics

Games Greed Boosts Homeless Numbers

By Lee Rhiannon - Greens member of NSW Upper House

'Homeless in Sydney' is shaping up to be the theme of the Olympics with many property owners evicting tenants and pushing up rents.

Proprietors of boarding homes are out in front in the quest for Olympic gold as boarders and lodgers have no protection against arbitrary eviction or rent increases. Unlike tenants people living in boarding houses can be simply kicked out at the whim of the owner.

Tenancy and welfare groups, along with The Greens, are campaigning for boarders and lodgers to be given protection against greedy landlords in the lead-up to the Olympics. Despite warnings that the mega sporting event will dramatically increase the 30,000 people who every night are homeless across Sydney, the Carr Labor government to date has not found the political will to legislate in order to protect some of the most disadvantaged people in our community.

The heat is being turned up on the government with a series of protests and international media stories planned.

Nick Warren from the NSW Tenants Union has called on the NSW govt to fastrack protection for boarding house residents:

"It is vital that legislation is put before the NSW Parliament in April. Boarders and lodgers and boarding house owners need to be aware of their rights and responsibilities before the Games."

Many of the people facing eviction from boarding houses are elderly and long term occupants. One 71 year old man, evicted just prior to christmas, had lived in a boarding house for eight years, but was given three weeks to leave his room in a Darlinghurst terrace. The property is now being renovated and will most likely be turned into a backpackers. An 81 year old woman in Glebe faces eviction. The landlord has already started renovating and letting rooms out to young travellers.

The Federal government is also implicated. The Sydney based group. Rentwatchers, has warned that Australia is breaching international human rights obligations over its failure to prevent Olympic related evictions.

Beth Jewell, from rentwatchers, visited Geneva last November to discuss this breach with the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: "The UN delegates could not believe safeguards were not in place and they will be writing to the PM about housing rights abuses in Sydney."

The Greens, NCOSS and other lobby groups are calling for a NSW Homeless Persons Protocol to be established to ensure homeless people can remain on the streets if the wish or receive appropriate accommodation and support services.

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Issue 44 contents

Interview: The Big Fella
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley speaks about Labor�s evolving relationship with the trade union movement in the post-Accord era.

Unions: An Interactive Resource
The priority for unions in the 21st century is organising and growth. Greg Combet�s unions @work report identified the direction unions should be moving.

Media: Public Hearings
As the big media players look increasingly tarnished, the broadcasting minnows like FBi are seeking their share of the airwaves.

History: Labour History Under Siege
In good labour tradition, the history section of Workers Online begins the year with a call to arms.

Olympics: Games Greed Boosts Homeless Numbers
'Homeless in Sydney' is shaping up to be the theme of the Olympics with many property owners evicting tenants and pushing up rents.

Women: No Time To Be Casual
International Women�s Day is a day to take action. As a shop steward or union delegate why not use IWD as an opportunity to encourage the women in your workplace to join the union?

International: Serbian And Kosovo Unions Meet
The Italian metalworkers has hosted meetings on how to build a different future for the workers in the Balkans.

Labour Review: What's New
Read the latest issue of Labour Review our resource for students, activists and officials.

Review: Rock and a Hard Place
A hippie festival? Alternative? No way...the music festival know as the Big Day Out (BDO) is fast becoming a mainstream youth cultural event, a snapshot of the broader society that unions are struggling to engage.

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