‘Terrified': Vulnerable public housing tenants living in fear of violent ex-prisoners
Cr Moore hosted the 'Your Housing, Your Say' event at Glebe Town Hall on Thursday, billed as an opportunity for social housing tenants to raise issues including 'preventing anti-social behaviour'.
One elderly Glebe resident confronted the Lord Mayor and Margaret Macrae from Homes NSW about a recent incident at her building on July 5.
'To tell you the truth, I've had not even an inadequate response from Homes NSW and indeed the police that were called,' she said.
'Homes NSW has not been in contact with any of the tenants. It was one particular tenant with a strong prison history of violence and drug-related raging. It's a really bad situation. He terrified the building.'
The woman said while the man was eventually arrested a few days later, there had been 'a succession of three tenants for that one unit who come from priority housing listing'.
'And each of them has relapsed into their anti-social behaviour really quite quickly,' she said.
'They weren't accurately assessed for suitability, they were inappropriately placed. And there are how many people who would be peaceful and not drug dealing and all the other stuff, prostitution, whatever.'
Cr Moore's response was that 'housing is providing homes for as many people as possible'.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore hosts a 'Your House, Your Say' community forum. Picture: Supplied
'And if someone behaves really badly and they're moved, they have to be moved somewhere else or they could end up as homeless people on the street,' she said.
'So it's a really challenging situation to house everyone that needs it, even people that have, you know, bad behaviours.'
'There's a need for supported accommodation, more of it, a lot more of it — there are models of success,' the woman replied.
Cr Moore said the she agreed that there needed to be more supported accommodation in the model of Common Ground at Camperdown, which caters for 'adults with complex needs that require personalised case management and psychosocial supports'.
'We keep saying that we need more Common Grounds so that people can have support services, because there are a lot of very troubled people,' Cr Moore said.
'I've doorknocked some of those troubled people and it's been quite scary. But, you know, if they're not in those homes, they could be on the street. And that's a problem for the rest of the community and also very unsafe for them, too. So it's about being a compassionate government and a compassionate community and trying to look after everyone, and that's a challenge.'
Ms Macrae added that 'often the house, the home is the crux of what gets everything else right in someone's life that's been in crisis'.
'Without a stable address, without stable accommodation, none of those other services can really come on-board and wrap around and start working with that client,' she said.
'Some are more successful than others but it doesn't mean that we don't try. I'm sorry that your examples in this particular block haven't been good but broadly we've got thousands of tenants in our district and we work very hard to wrap our services around and support those tenants.'
Another local, however, spoke up to praise the city's response to 'helping people with mental illness'.
'There's a lot of people in housing with mental illness … I think they need a lot of support,' she said.
The elderly resident said tenants were not being 'accurately assessed for suitability'. Picture: Supplied
'You can hear them carrying on. There's a lot of screaming and swearing and things. I've even seen a man riding a scooter fully naked — he didn't have a stitch on.'
Speaking to news.com.au after the meeting, the elderly resident — who asked not to be identified — said she was 'almost shaking with anger' at the response from the Lord Mayor and Homes NSW.
'It says 'Your Housing, Your Say', and we're shut down,' she said.
'They just don't want to hear it.'
The woman said it was inexplicable why 'people with a strong history of violent, anti-social behaviour are given priority public housing, endangering peaceful, law-abiding tenants'.
'That man told me personally not long after he moved in that he had been in prison for cutting someone's fingers off,' she said.
Cr Moore declined to be interviewed after the meeting, directing questions to Homes NSW.
Housing Minister Rose Jackson and Homes NSW have been contacted for comment.
As of June 30, there were 65,569 households waiting for social housing — up from 56,332 in June 2024 — including 11,525 priority approved, according to the latest NSW government figures.
The median wait time for general applicants has decreased to 14.4 months, from 20.1 months a year earlier, while the priority wait time increased slightly from 3.5 months to four months in the same period.
Under Homes NSW's recently implemented Local Allocation Strategy (LAS), people with drug-related convictions in the past five years are barred from applying for social housing in certain inner-city suburbs.
NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire
The LAS currently takes in the suburbs of Redfern, Waterloo, Surry Hills and Glebe.
In nearby Paddington, residents of the troubled Lawson Street housing complex have previously pleaded with the Housing Minister to add their suburb to the LAS.
One resident told news.com.au life in the 59-unit block had been 'made hell on earth on a daily basis by people who constantly break the law' and engage in anti-social behaviour.
He said Homes NSW had shown 'total disregard' in placing people with severe mental health issues and drug problems 'in amongst units of mainly single elderly women, people with chronic illnesses and other health conditions'.
'We have been told that prisoners being released from NSW jails are at the top of the list when it comes to housing,' he said. 'The system is utterly broken.'
Alex Greenwich, the Greens state MP for the Sydney electorate, joined Ms Jackson in April last year to meet with Lawson Street residents and listen to their concerns.
In a letter to the Minister this May, Mr Greenwich urged Ms Jackson to add Paddington to the LAS.
'During your visit, Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command reported a significant increase in criminal activity and call outs over the previous three years,' he wrote.
'Police cited issues of squatters and unauthorised occupants, tenant incarceration and recidivism, drug dealing and use, theft, damage to property, threatening behaviour and assault. Police investigations also identified vehicles frequently visiting the site as known persons in the drug trade.'
Mr Greenwich said one year on, 'criminal activity and anti-social behaviour remains a daily concern that is terrifying for your tenants, my constituents'.
'Lawson Street residents have approached me to ask for the Inner City Local Allocation Strategy to be applied to Paddington in order to give them reprieve from continuing drug-related harm, disturbance and threat to personal safety,' he wrote.
Ms Jackson responded last month by noting Paddington was outside the LAS, but that the scheme was under review.
'Homes NSW continues to investigate all reported anti-social behaviour incidents and, where allegations are substantiated, takes appropriate action including formal warnings, strike notices or issuing notices of termination in accordance with police,' she wrote.
In 2021, a study by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) found ex-prisoners with complex support needs who received public housing had better criminal justice outcomes than those who received rental assistance only.
frank.chung@news.com.au
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
31 minutes ago
- News.com.au
New campaign for probe into 2012 death of gold prospector Bruce Schuler
Serious concerns linger over the evidence used to convict a husband and wife of murder on a remote Queensland property 13 years ago, as they face dying behind bars. Dianne Wilson-Struber and Stephen Struber were found guilty at trial of killing gold prospector Bruce Schuler, 48, at the couple's giant Cape York leasehold in July 2012. Mr Schuler's body has never been found, but police alleged in a circumstantial case that he was shot dead by the Strubers before they hid his remains. Both Dianne and Stephen maintain they had nothing to do with Mr Schuler's disappearance and their case led to the introduction of 'no body, no parole' laws in the Sunshine State. Retired detective Graeme Crowley, who wrote a book and made a podcast about the investigation and trial, said 140 'discrepancies' he has identified led him to believe the wrong people might be in jail. 'There are there are serious concerns with the investigation, there are serious concerns with the evidence, there are serious concerns with the way the prosecutor presented the evidence,' he told 'So if you accept any or all of those, then likely they didn't commit this murder.' Family of Ms Wilson-Struber in March launched a petition to the Queensland government for a long-awaited inquest to be held into Mr Schuler's disappearance. Petition author Sharon Ferguson wrote that the inquest would enable legal teams currently investigating the case to test evidence brought against her sister, Dianne. But Mr Schuler's widower, Fiona Splitt, has condemned the campaign and says the only mystery is the location of her husband's body. No body, no weapons Mr Schuler disappeared from Palmerville Station, a property twice the size of Singapore, after camping there overnight with his dog Red and three prospecting friends on July 8, 2012. They did not have permission to be on the land, and the Queensland Supreme Court heard Struber had confronted one of the party for trespassing a week earlier. On the morning of July 9, Mr Schuler's companions reported hearing two gunshots ring out 10 to 15 minutes apart coming from the direction he was last seen. They later gave evidence at trial of seeing a car belonging to the Strubers driving toward a key crime scene. After searching for Mr Schuler, his friends reported him missing to police that night. Police arrived the next morning to conduct a wide-ranging land, water and air search, and executed a search warrant at the Schuler's home. Officers discovered three of the Strubers' large array of guns – two .22 calibre rifles and a .357 magnum – were missing, and the couple was arrested for questioning. They were not charged with Mr Schuler's murder until October 30, 2012, without police finding the Mareeba man's remains. 'There's no body, there's no cause of death, the witnesses didn't see Bruce Schuler shot, they didn't see him carried away,' Mr Crowley said. 'All they heard was two gunshots. And from there, the police concluded he was murdered.' The evidence What police did find during the searches of Palmerville Station was tyre marks in cow pats and burnt patches of grass near where Mr Schuler was reportedly last seen. There were two pieces of twine containing his DNA and spent projectiles found in bloodstained glass. Mr Schuler's DNA was also located on a bloodstained leaf, a white film canister, and four partially burnt matches. Forensic officers noted damaged trees and a broken termite mound consistent with recent vehicle contact, which they said showed marks matching Mr Struber's vehicle. Police later established that Wilson-Struber made an anonymous call to the Palmerville Station homestead from a payphone in Mareeba three days after Mr Schuler disappeared. She advised the officer who answered that the police were looking in the wrong spot and that they should be looking '12-15km east'. At trial, Struber stated he and his wife had spent the day of July 9, 2012 repairing a loader and were not in the area where shots were reported. 'We weren't there,' he said. A jury rejected this claim, after deliberating for just four hours, and Justice Jim Henry sentenced them both to life in prison. The couple's subsequent appeals over their convictions also failed. Ms Splitt's campaigning led to the introduction of 'no body, no parole' laws in Queensland in 2017, after more than 8000 people signed her petition. The U-turn One of the key 'discrepancies' Mr Crowley zeroed in on during his research is what witnesses said about a four-wheel-drive seen at the time shots were reported. It was alleged at trial that after first being shot at, Mr Schuler ran up a steep gully toward a secondary crime scene. The Strubers were said to have driven their car from where the first shot was fired 200m away to the second site where the blood and burnt patches were found. 'But all three prospectors told the police after the first shot, the car drove about somewhere between 20 and 50m,' Mr Crowley said. 'When it got the trial, the jury didn't hear that.' Mr Crowley said the prosecutor instead put to the witnesses that the car was seen heading in a northerly direction, toward crime scene two, to which they agreed. He said this 'one of the most important, disturbing, significant discrepancies' in the case. 'Because how do you murder someone … how do you put a body on the trail of the ute … if the ute does not go to the crime scene?' A new campaign Ms Ferguson is firm in her belief that her sister, Wilson-Struber, is innocent. She described her sister as a 'happy, caring, loving person' before the incident that changed their family – who had been in possession of Palmerville since the 1960s – forever. 'She cared about people, animals. She enjoyed her lifestyle on the property because she grew up on that property, and it was just part of her life.' Ms Ferguson's petition calling for an inquest to finally be held into the matter gained more than 5000 signatures, and is due to be introduced to parliament in August. A coroner handed down non-inquest findings in 2016, following the Strubers' convictions and based on police material and evidence heard at trial. 'I was very disappointed with that,' Ms Ferguson said. 'I think if they would have done a proper coronial inquest in the first place, maybe they would've been a lot more answers. 'The ultimate, result for me would be that we find out what really happened to Bruce Schuler, where his body may be. 'So his family can have closure and the right people who committed this crime can be incarcerated for what they did.' Ms Ferguson said a new legal team had been engaged to prepare a fresh court appeal, which could be heard in November. Ms Splitt recently told the Cairns Post that the latest wave of attention on the case had taken a toll on her family. Although she has also wanted an inquest to be held, she rejected the assertion that the petition was also aimed at supporting Bruce. 'The insensitive comments and things that people say on social media and calls for an inquest take an immense mental and emotional toll … and it is hurting my family and Bruce's family,' she said. 'We have trusted the legal process throughout this entire ordeal, and we trust that the authorities will continue their investigation based on the facts, evidence, and proper legal procedure. 'We are confident that the truth will prevail if we continue to focus on the facts and not get sidetracked by distractions.'
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Myanmar sentences 12 to life for human trafficking
Myanmar military courts have sentenced a dozen individuals — including five Chinese — to life in prison for multiple human trafficking cases. According to state newspaper Myanma Alinn, the convictions stem from a range of offences, including the online distribution of sex videos and the trafficking of Myanmar women into forced marriages in China. In one case, five people — including two Chinese identified as Lin Te and Wang Xiaofeng — were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Yangon, the country's largest city, late last month. They were found guilty under Myanmar's Anti-Trafficking in Persons law for producing sex videos involving three Myanmar couples and distributing the footage online for profit. In a separate case, the same court sentenced a woman and three Chinese — Yibo, Cao Qiu Quan and Chen Huan. The group was convicted of planning to transport two Myanmar women, recently married to two of the convicted Chinese men, into China, the report said. Additionally, three other people received life sentences from a separate military court for selling a woman as a bride to China, and for attempting to do the same with another woman. In another case, a woman from Myanmar's central Magway region was given a 10-year sentence for planning to transport two Myanmar women to be sold as brides to Chinese men, the report said. Human trafficking, particularly of women and girls lured or forced into marriages in China, remains a widespread problem in Myanmar, a country still reeling from civil war after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The persisting conflict in most areas of Myanmar has left millions of women and children vulnerable to exploitation. A 2018 report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) estimated that about 21,000 women and girls from northern Myanmar were forced into marriage in China between 2013 and 2017. In its latest report, published in December, KWAT noted a sharp decline in the number of trafficking survivors accessing its services from 2020 to 2023. It attributed the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic and border closures caused by ongoing conflict following the army takeover. However, it reported a resurgence in 2024 as people from across Myanmar began migrating to China in search of work. Major-General Aung Kyaw Kyaw, a deputy minister for Home Affairs, said during a June meeting that the authorities had handled 53 cases of human trafficking, forced marriage and prostitution in 2024, 34 of which involved China, according to a report published by Myanmar's Information Ministry. The report also said that a total of 80 human trafficking cases, including 14 involving marriage deception by foreign nationals, were recorded between January and June this year.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Myanmar sentences 12 to life for human trafficking
Myanmar military courts have sentenced a dozen individuals — including five Chinese — to life in prison for multiple human trafficking cases. According to state newspaper Myanma Alinn, the convictions stem from a range of offences, including the online distribution of sex videos and the trafficking of Myanmar women into forced marriages in China. In one case, five people — including two Chinese identified as Lin Te and Wang Xiaofeng — were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Yangon, the country's largest city, late last month. They were found guilty under Myanmar's Anti-Trafficking in Persons law for producing sex videos involving three Myanmar couples and distributing the footage online for profit. In a separate case, the same court sentenced a woman and three Chinese — Yibo, Cao Qiu Quan and Chen Huan. The group was convicted of planning to transport two Myanmar women, recently married to two of the convicted Chinese men, into China, the report said. Additionally, three other people received life sentences from a separate military court for selling a woman as a bride to China, and for attempting to do the same with another woman. In another case, a woman from Myanmar's central Magway region was given a 10-year sentence for planning to transport two Myanmar women to be sold as brides to Chinese men, the report said. Human trafficking, particularly of women and girls lured or forced into marriages in China, remains a widespread problem in Myanmar, a country still reeling from civil war after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The persisting conflict in most areas of Myanmar has left millions of women and children vulnerable to exploitation. A 2018 report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) estimated that about 21,000 women and girls from northern Myanmar were forced into marriage in China between 2013 and 2017. In its latest report, published in December, KWAT noted a sharp decline in the number of trafficking survivors accessing its services from 2020 to 2023. It attributed the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic and border closures caused by ongoing conflict following the army takeover. However, it reported a resurgence in 2024 as people from across Myanmar began migrating to China in search of work. Major-General Aung Kyaw Kyaw, a deputy minister for Home Affairs, said during a June meeting that the authorities had handled 53 cases of human trafficking, forced marriage and prostitution in 2024, 34 of which involved China, according to a report published by Myanmar's Information Ministry. The report also said that a total of 80 human trafficking cases, including 14 involving marriage deception by foreign nationals, were recorded between January and June this year.
