Demolition of 17 public homes at 82 Wentworth Park Road in Glebe, Sydney, has begun despite a three-year campaign to save them. The New South Wales government is replacing them with 43 units that will remain state-owned and managed. Former resident Carolyn Ienna, a Wiradjuri person who lived there for 30 years, has been relocated nearby but will not return.
The demolition comes amid concerns about declining public housing stock under successive Labor and Coalition governments. At Waterloo South, 749 public homes are being demolished for 1,500 private houses, 600 affordable homes, and 1,000 community homes. Critics call this a 'partial privatisation' and a broken election promise, as the Minns government had previously assured residents their homes would not be sold off.
Housing Minister Rose Jackson says the government is 'proud of our record' of increasing public homes. Between June 2023 and June 2024, public housing stock rose by about 350 homes, the first increase in years. Homes NSW reports 1,371 publicly owned homes delivered since July 2024, but net change data is pending.
However, expert Dr Alistair Sisson notes that social housing per 100 people has declined from 2.21 in 2005 to 1.86 in 2023-24. The social housing waitlist has grown from 57,401 in March 2023 to 66,862 in September 2024. The government's Building Homes for NSW program aims to add 8,400 social homes with $6.1bn funding, alongside a $1bn refurbishment of 30,000 existing homes.
