Time for Strategy: Part 1

If you have been hiding under a rock, you might have missed the announcement that the NSW Liberal Government's is selling high-value properties on Sydney's harbour front - Millers Point, the Rocks, and Dawes Point. Public housing tenants, many of whom are elderly and disabled, are being evicted from their homes.

The NSW Liberal Government says it is going to reinvest moneys into public housing. We call bullshit. We think this is the beginning of the end. It is going to sell off its housing stock until there is nothing left. This is consistent with its user pays philosophy. The Liberal Party does not believe in having a safety net. It thinks individuals should pay whatever the market dictates. On another level, the sell-off is about class warfare. If the NSW Government succeeds, the working class will be pushed out, and well-to-do professional types will take over. Property developers are hovering, and they have much to gain. This is a struggle important to all tenants, including public housing tenants. 

 

The tenants are fighting back. The resistance is mounting. To win, they must have a strategy for success. But first, we must first ascertain what strategies the NSW Liberal Government have in place.

1. Divide and conquer - I think they are relying on the strategy of 'divide and conquer'. The media has reported that evictees will have to endure  a cruel lucky dip process for their new homes. The power of these tenants lie in their collective force, and they should resist ploys that seek to divide them.

2. Campaign of misinformation - The NSW Liberal Government went about its task in a misleading and deceptive manner. Minister Pru Goward highlighted the issue of social housing subsidies. This gave the impression that taxpayers' money was paid to tenants. Completely untrue. As the NSW Brown Couch pointed out - tenants pay rent to NSW Housing, not the other way around. By and large, I think the media has backed the residents. A plethora of articles about the sale have been published. I don't include the Daily Telegraph, it's not really a newspaper anymore. More of a blow horn for vested interests. Residents have a powerful tool at their disposal. They can rely on the media to combat deliberate untruths and falsehoods. Social media will also play an important role. The residents have a Facebook page, and a blog.

3. Class envy - The NSW Liberal Government expertly manipulated Sydney's class envy. It played into the middle classes' ambivalence about social welfare, and the deservingness of welfare (well-being?) recipients. Some of the comments on social media have displayed a degree of anger and bitterness I have never seen. Make no mistake, this manoeuvre was deliberate. We think all Aussies should have access to affordable and appropriate housing irrespective of ability to pay. There's only one way to combat ignorance, and that's education. In a fair society, we help people who can't help themselves.

5. Framing - Minister Pru Goward tried to frame the sell-off as a fairness issue. When she made the announcement on 18 March 2014, she said, 'I cannot look taxpayers of NSW in the eye, I cannot look at other public housing tenants in the eye, and I cannot look at the 57,000 people on the waiting list in the eye when we preside over such an unfair distribution of subsidies.' I almost puked when I heard her say this. I would like to know how much political spin doctors were paid to sell this decision. See how she manipulates perceptions of truth when she refers to looking people in the eye. The residents don't think the decision was fair. There was no consultation, no procedural fairness. And really, it is their feelings that matter. It is their homes, and their lives.

4. Exhaustion - The government is well-resourced and formidable enemy. Last year, Holdfast Bay Council evicted 40 permanent residents from Brighton Caravan Park. Only recently, the residents announced that they were backing down, and calling a halt to their legal battle. They were worn out. They had suffered physically, emotionally, and financially. The government knows that many of the residents don't have the wherewithal to handle a protracted fight. They are counting on it. They know people need stability. The tenants are going to need, not only financial support, but emotional support as well.

The tenants must also make a realistic appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses. As I intimated above, many of the tenants are elderly and/or disabled and don't have fantastically strong coping skills. On the other hand, many of the tenants are of the working class and are used to fighting for their rights. Some of the tenants are retired members of unions like the CFMEU. The weakness can also be turned into a strength. The government won't look good if it forcibly evicts residents from their homes. I can see it now - 'Sorry Mr Police Officer, can I please grab my walking frame before you throw me in the paddy wagon!'. On the other hand, the residents of Millers Point form a strong collective. They are organised and they don't want to lose their homes. As this is close-knit community, they have a base to work from. Stronger together, as the saying goes.

It is my view that the residents have reasonable  to good prospects of success. In the next instalment, I will look at potential strategies and tactics the residents can use to protect their homes.