Gerry Georgatos
The renters’ rights movement that recently started in the Blackwood region has spread Australia-wide with the Renters Alliance swamped with emails and calls from distressed renters, said Lea Keenan, WA Renters Alliance co-ordinator.
As a result of the burgeoning movement other organisations have also begun highlighting the plight of renters, and rent stress, and of those in social housing, and the increasing hardship most face.
Ms Keenan said a rally in the Blackwood region in July would launch the movement and would then be followed by a rally on the steps of the WA parliament in August before a Renters’ Rights National Day of Action Australia-wide in October.
The Renters Alliance will organise a schedule of meetings throughout the South West for June in the lead up to the first rally, and will meet with concerned South West renters to both involve them in the movement and to highlight their stories to politicians and to the news media.
Ms Keenan said that the June visits would include Bunbury, Busselton, Donnybrook, Bridgetown, Collie, Margaret River and Albany. “We may visit other towns too however we are listening to everyone wherever they may live,” she said.
“Enough is enough with what renters go through and the hardship is only getting worse and not better with political parties geared to inherently supporting the interests of landlords and investors, who are actually fewer than the renters who are on the rise. Renters are the majority of the population.”
The Renters Alliance said that nearly 70% of Australians live in rent or in social housing and that proportionate to population less Australians than ever before are able to step into home ownership, and that mortgaging was beyond most Australians.
Social researcher and Secretary of the Multicultural Union of Australia Reveli Affleck said that it is only going to get worse for renters unless politicians stop neglecting them.
“We are being hurt badly by rent rises and both Liberal and Labor have not shown any inclination to (push for) reducing rents,” said Mr Affleck.
“Policies for reducing rents would win the support of 67% of the people.”
67% of Australians currently live in rent whereas in 1975 67% of Australian lived in a home they owned outright or had mortgaged.
“Less than 33% of Australians are in the home ownership struggle, and 90% of those 33% are mortgaged, with most of them heavily mortgaged and requiring near a lifetime to pay off their home, however ten per cent of Australians are investors with more than one property with most of them bleeding renters to pay off or maximise their investment,” said Ms Keenan.
“Whereas forty and fifty years ago you could save hard and pay off your home in several years this is now impossible for the majority of Australians, and most renters have no hope of saving a quid and therefore a deposit to even pull on a mortgage.”
“In the South West, in the Blackwood the property prices are still ridiculously high despite a declining market, despite less properties selling, and rent prices are on average, in our view, $100 per week too much, and in Perth $200 per week too much,” said Ms Keenan.
“Landlords and realtors in the South West should be looking at the regional social conditions, the local wages, the job market when considering what a fair rent should be. Many South West property owners are investors who do not live in the South West and live for instance in Perth, in the eastern states or overseas and are after maximum returns and do not have the mindset that their investment is someone’s home.”
“Life and society are a two-way street you know, its got to stop being about 'me' only.”
Mr Affleck said nearly one and half million West Australians are renters, and nearly 15 million Australians live in rent.
“We’ve got politicians worried about a looming renters’ rights movement, and so they should be, and when we get to the Blackwood and the South West come June it would be great to have the local politicians from all sides at the meetings. If they want to win the respect of the people they need to rock up, and of course we will contact their offices to meet with them nevertheless,” said Ms Keenan.
"Next week we will release the schedule of the Renters Alliance visits to the South West - the dates, times, venues."
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/renters-stress-hits-the-blackwood-tim...
There is a cultural wave coming out of the Blackwood and going Australia-wide - various organisations are now beginning to extensively highlight the plight of renters, our poorest folk and the housing crises Australia-wide