I really don't know where some people think that the refugees are housed. In Sydney, where most of them are dumped, they mainly get Government housing. In the meantime many are housed in Motels at great cost to the taxpayer. Once here they are usually put on the PRIORITY list for Government Housing which pushes ordinary low income Australians further and further down the list.
All persons on a low income have a right to apply. The waiting list in Sydney is supposedly 15 years but since the influx of refugees many have said it is double that now.
Now NOT every person on a low income gets defined as a priority but special consideration is made for refugees, victims of domestic violence etc. Refugees are considered to have "enormous challenges" which puts them very high on the priority list. This includes not being able to speak English, not having a rental history, perceived discrimination, not being able to meet rental payments, complex needs, perceived severe mental anguish. The list goes on and on and normal Aussies on a low income don't have a chance of competing with that.
http://www.mdia2003.org/2015/?p=1388An average of 5 to 10 years waiting period for public housing in NSW has recently been invalidated, revealed to be double or more the wait by NSW Labour Electoral Officer Kenrick Cheah, as applicants attempts to “jump the queue above people”.
Despite the calls for developments in Sydney’s CBD and Sydney’s suburbs, public housing applicants on the waiting list are expected to allow an additional waiting period, as the system’s priority and normal waiting list changes from time to time.
According to Housing NSW, the current average waiting period for a property within the Sydney market requires 5 to 10 year wait. The wait, may at any time extend due to other applicants turning help to their local government, in a request to “jump the queue.”
Waiting period for public housing within NSW is a continuous concern, but priority list is also an area of debate, an area in which the public housing system should review and make modification to make the system fairer, faster and more accessible to the general public.
As a supporter of fulfilling local community members to be first in line for public housing, Kenrick sees the importance of satisfying local members’ needs over refugees who are often in priority list than other applicants who have been waiting for years.
“[There are] people who need public housing often come in to our office, asking for letters of support so they can jump the queue,” Says Kenrick.
“If you have the support from your local MP, then you will have a better shot on getting on the priority list, which may or may not be fair,” he continues.
Irene Doutney, Sydney Green’s Councillor and current tenant of public housing has been waiting for 15 years before being offered a flat on to live on her own.
“Priority list…jumps ahead of the ordinary list and that for people who are homeless, who are on the verge homelessness, who have a disability and can’t work,” Says Irene.
“The normal list is about 15 years now. If you want to move into the city or anywhere in the inner west, it’s about 15 years. [But with] the priority list could be six months,” she continues.
Priority list includes “refugees, victims of domestic violence, homeless and applicants who require medical attention” says Kenrick. As a result of the priority list, applicants who are within the normal waiting list may at any time expect an additional time extension before being offered a spot in public housing.
“I guess there needs to be a priority list, because obviously some people are more in need than others, due to health reasons or domestic violence, bad breakups etc.,
There needs to be a more equitable way to basically give houses to those who needed the first,” says Kenrick.
“It doesn’t matter [whether] they are refugee or not, or they have been here for longer, but I can see why locals who have waited there in the public housing wait list for 15 years or so, or even 10 years, 5 years and even 2 years, I don’t think they will be happy for refugees who come along and get the houses first,” he continues.
One possible solution is to send them all to Brisbane, Canberra or Adelaide. Sydney is FULL!
