Desal evictions
By Matt Dunn
WONTHAGGI landlords are evicting low income tenants in anticipation of the arrival of cashed-up desalination workers.
The practice has further exacerbated the housing crisis in the town, leaving many of South Gippsland’s most vulnerable people without a place to live.
Bass Coast Council CEO Alan Bawden said he knew of the problem and would publically shame anyone he thought was profiteering from the practice.
“I’ve heard of it happening through discussions I’ve had through some of the real estate agents. It may be that landlords want to rent the properties to desalination workers, and you can only assume from that they’re expecting to get a higher rent,” he said.
“Any landlord that may be speculating on getting a higher rent from a desalination worker than existing tenants will be sadly disappointed. I certainly hope that’s the case.
“We can’t prevent those decisions being made by individual landlords. I’ve made it clear during meetings with agents, if there’s evidence of profiteering I’d have no problem with naming and shaming them publically.”
Mr Bawden said he had no evidence of real estate agents being involved in the practice, but “there may be individual landlords just holding back to see what happens”.
Many of those evictees turn up at the Wonthaggi office of Member for Bass Ken Smith, asking for help.
Mr Smith has been at the coalface of the problem, and last week convened a forum that included community groups, government agencies, politicians and those desperate for affordable housing in the town.
“I’ve had a number of people through saying they’ve been given 120 days notice to vacate the homes they’ve been renting,” he said.
“Some people have been renting these properties for a number of years. The landlords don’t have to give any reason as to why. They just have to give them 120 days to get out.
“Basically, we believe, they’re going to let them out to the desal people. I can’t get that confirmed. None of the agents will talk to us. I’ve got some mates that are agents, but none of the agents will say that to us. But that’s what we believe is a cause of the problem now, with some of the low cost housing we used to have in Wonthaggi.”
One real estate industry insider asked about the evictions said he was “not going to be the bunny that presses the alarm button.
“I don’t want to be a dramatist or anything, but this is pretty serious stuff. I don’t want my name in print anywhere. It’s too delicate. Sorry.”
It is no secret that the desalination workers will be on high incomes, with average wages tipped to be about $130,000 a year.
“They’re in a position where they’re being paid living away from home allowances, which adds up to several hundred dollars per week,” Mr Smith said.
“They can come down here where we have people struggling to pay a couple of hundred dollars a week. We’ve got people coming down who are quite happy to pay $500 a week for a house that was previously let for $120, $150, $200 a week. There would be landlords pleased to be getting that extra money.
“This is something that we’ve been concerned about for some time.”
Convenor of the South Gippsland Focus on Care and Support organisation (FOCAS) Nancy Pattinson, said the housing crisis for low income earners was a “huge problem here” that was only set to get worse.
“There’s lots of empty houses in Wonthaggi, but you can’t get them. They’re being saved up. Anyone on a single pension can’t get them,” she said.
She knows rents will continue to rise.
“Can you imagine living like that? It’s just continual. It just goes up every time. It’s going to go up so much. What I think it’s about is getting the tenants out, so they can get the house back,” she said.
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