Yarra Socialists

Prior to 2010 the division of Melbourne was held by Labor for more than 100 years. After decades of betraying their supporters they were replaced by the Greens at the last election. Many had hoped that Adam Bandt would better represent their interests.

Unfortunately soon after being elected the Greens made a pact with Labor and propped up the Gillard-led government for most of the last term. Disappointingly Adam Bandt voted for most of Labor’s unpopular legislation including the carbon tax package which handed over millions in corporate subsidies to big polluters and the bungled mining tax which only brought in a measly $126 million in its first six months.

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By Stephen Jolly

Last month the Victorian state government announced it would build a controversial toll road and tunnel linking the Eastern Freeway to Melbourne’s western suburbs. The cost is estimated to be between $8-15 billion.

The uproar from affected communities has rocked the political scene in the city and has become a big feature of the Socialist Party’s work.

The tunnel would lead to the loss of about 250 properties in North Collingwood, South Clifton Hill and North Fitzroy. If allowed to go ahead other homes would be up close and personal with a massive new road.

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Yarra Socialists News is produced by Socialist Party Councillor Stephen Jolly. It is distributed twice yearly to every home in Yarra. We aim to keep residents informed about local issues and encourage involvement in community campaigns.

The Liberal/Labor tunnel obsession must be stopped

The proposed East-West tunnel will not reduce traffic congestion or pollution in Melbourne. The government says there will be no exit points until the tunnel’s end in the western suburbs. Given that more than 80% of the cars coming in off the Eastern Freeway are heading towards the city, most cars will therefore exit just before the tunnel starts – onto Hoddle Street, the very street that the tunnel was supposed to relieve!

The truth is that tunnel will make local traffic and pollution worse. The Age believes the tunnel can only be made profitable by huge toll costs and/or government subsidies to the private operators. It is a waste of taxpayer’s money.

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By Councillor Stephen Jolly

Late last month, a consortium including the massive Wesfarmers company, bought the now disused Amcor paper mill site in Alphington, in the City of Yarra, for $120 million.
This is the latest and biggest example in Yarra of developers and corporate giants buying up ex-industrial sites for residential, office and retail development. Huge profits are being made in this process.

This profit-making in the property sector stands out especially as Victoria’s manufacturing base is in crisis due to the high dollar and an inability to compete with the economies of scale in East Asia.

The developers inevitably propose mainly matchbox apartments with little or no open space, community facilities, or enough parking. The more units they squeeze in the more money they make.

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By Councillor Stephen Jolly

In what are probably its dying days, the Gillard ALP Government has administered a parting kick to Australia’s most vulnerable people. This most right-wing of Labor governments has tabled a new bill that is sneakily-titled and draconian in content.

The ‘Social Security Legislation Amendment (Public Housing Tenants’ Support) Bill 2013’ allows a “public housing lessor” (eg a State-based Office of Housing) to compulsory deduct rent from a tenant’s welfare payment if certain conditions apply. A tenant only has to be four weeks behind and have $100 owing for the Office of Housing to be allowed to directly access their income.

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By Socialist Party reporters

In late March the Victorian Liberal Government was forced to back down on its plans to sell-off open space at the Fitzroy and North Richmond public housing estates. This was due to pressure from the growing Hands Off Melbourne’s Estates (H.O.M.E.) campaign to defend and extend public housing. The campaign was initiated by the Socialist Party and is made up of local public and private housing residents.

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By Socialist Party reporters

The Socialist Party will be contesting the seat of Melbourne in this year’s federal election. The party’s candidate will be former City of Yarra Councillor, and Secretary of the UNITE union, Anthony Main. The Socialist Party will strive to offer a progressive alternative to the ALP and Greens who have been in a defacto coalition at a federal level for most of the past 3 years.

The seat of Melbourne is unique in that it is the only federal lower house seat held by the Greens. At the last election many people voted for the Greens candidate Adam Bandt in the hope that he would be somewhat different to the major parties. Unfortunately Bandt has proved to be little different to his ALP predecessor.

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By Socialist Party reporters

Melbourne’s inner-city public housing tenants have won a major victory against the Victorian State Liberal government and greedy developers. A project worth in excess of half a billion dollars was stopped in its tracks by a community campaign that was led by the Socialist Party.

As we reported last month, the government had informed Yarra Council via a confidential briefing paper that it wanted to construct 800 private units and 10,000 square meters of office and retail space on what is currently the green, public, open space around the high rise towers of the Fitzroy estate.

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The Victorian Liberal Government was forced into a partial back down on its plans to sell-off open space at the Fitzroy and North Richmond public housing estates yesterday.

This embarrassing retreat has come hot on the heals of a growing community campaign. The campaign was born out of mass meetings on the estates and has called a rally for 2pm Sunday March 24 at the Atherton Gardens public housing estate in Fitzroy (corner of Brunswick and Gertrude Streets).

Despite this partial victory the rally will go ahead demanding that the government also withdraw its plans to part-privatise the Prahran estate and invest in the improvement and expansion of public housing across the state.

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By Councillor Stephen Jolly, Socialist Party

An important community campaign is evolving on Melbourne’s inner-city public housing estates. The campaign is in response to a long awaited announcement by the Victorian Liberal State government sneakily made in a confidential briefing to Yarra Councillors three days after Christmas Day. Two of the three estates earmarked for drastic changes are in the Yarra Council municipality, with the third one in nearby Prahran.

The State government wants to sell to developers as much as they can of what is now prime public housing land. The Age newspaper reported that the provisions of the leaked ‘Draft Masterplan’ for the Fitzroy and North Richmond public housing estates would mean thousands of square meters of new private sector commercial office and retail space.

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