Our Say: End the public housing farce
THERE is no option but to stop the public housing projects at Trinity Park and Palm Cove. Do you agree with The Cairns Post's editorial?
They have caused too much angst in the community and have pitched housing tenants against private home owners in a disastrous public relations exercise for the State and Federal governments. It is clear from Right to Information documents released yesterday that local senior bureaucrats had doubts about the projects as far back as October last year.
Cairns bureaucrats said no to Palm Cove housing | Palm Cove public housing labelled 'waste' | Palm Cove anger at public housing email trail | Battle of the Cairns beaches
They told their bosses in Brisbane that the proposing housing was too remote from services and too big for the area, they were more trouble than their worth and should scrapped.
But they were dismissed by the senior bureaucrats miles away in Brisbane who recommended the projects go ahead despite their concerns.
The people who are really suffering are prospective tenants who are on waiting lists for public housing. They have become targets through no fault of their own. The whole issue has been badly handled and the lack of consultation with the community has been a public relations nightmare.
It has created a rift in the community, public housing tenants versus private house owners.
The tenants are being treated as pariahs in their own community but public housing needs to be handled with sensitivity. The placing of public housing in these two suburbs has failed to take into account the welfare, mental health and emotional wellbeing of the tenants.
Before they even move in it is clear they would be shunned by other members of the community and be treated as second-rate citizens.
The design of the homes fails to take into account the locality and there is no integration whatsoever.
There has been no thought on the style of the housing. Mega blocks of multiple units do not fit at all. Surely, attractive duplexes or smaller homes would be better than concrete blocks.
The Government is eager to blame local bureaucrats when things go wrong.
The entire handling of this issue has been absolutely abysmal and heads should roll.
The work should stop immediately.
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Clear message: No Public Housing!
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