16 February 2011

Cleansing the trailer park

| johnboy
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Chief Minister Stanhope has good new and bad news for the residents of the Narrabundah Longstay Caravan Park.

The good news is they’re going to be offered three year occupancy agreements after years of month to month existence.

The bad news is they’re going to be forced to come up to standard on health and safety:

Each of the private properties in the park will be assessed over the next two months to ensure they are safe and structurally sound. Licensed inspectors will complete the audits free of charge to residents.

The assessments will consider fire and safety risks, sewerage connections, electrical safety and structural compliance.

Where issues are identified, Government agencies will work with residents to help them bring their properties up to standard within a reasonable timeframe.

It is not known how many of the private properties on the site will require modification or remedial work.

“Like any other ACT homeowners, the park’s residents have an obligation to ensure their homes are safe and comply with basic regulations,” Mr Stanhope said. “The report indicates that a proportion of homes in the park are likely to be in need of some rectification.

“Financial support for necessary modifications may be considered once the compliance assessments have been completed.”

Quite why the ACT Government is running a trailer park, rather than providing proper public housing where needed, remains a mystery.

UPDATE: The Options Paper is now online. As is a fact sheet and the Government response.

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amarooresident34:59 pm 07 Jul 11

KB1971 said :

amarooresident3 said :

Waaah! Waah! Someone is getting something and I’m not.

My heart bleeds for you.

Cranky because you live in Gunghetto?

No. I like Gungahlin. Just cranky as a general rule.

Erg0 said :

Possibly because they’re not squatting on pubic land?

Awesome!

amarooresident3 said :

Waaah! Waah! Someone is getting something and I’m not.

My heart bleeds for you.

Cranky because you live in Gunghetto?

ACT Government stumping up dollars for home owners provided they are bogans?

I am a bogan. I own my house. It needs repairs. Dollars please, Katie!

amarooresident33:50 pm 07 Jul 11

UseMyMoney said :

What I do not understand is that the people which rent out the caravans do NOT pay any land tax.
I have to pay it for the propeties I rent out in Canberra.
Might dump them and buy the ones in the park and make extra every week.
Go on benefits and all is sweet. Just follow what the rest are doing and the government approves of it.

Also why do they hide who owes the government money (being in arrears)? Oh that is right invasion of privacy. uuummm. So in that case don’t invade my wallet. It is private as well.

As to help in getting the places up to standard where do I join up so I too can get work done on my own house. I do not own the land, the government owns all of Canberra, so that statement does not wash.

Chief Minister I need a new back fence and house painted. I earn less then some in the park so please help me like you are helping them.

Waaah! Waah! Someone is getting something and I’m not.

My heart bleeds for you.

Are they going to start inspecting all of those houses where people reside/sleep in non designated bedrooms too (eg, occupied motorhomes parked on house blocks adjacent to dwellings)?

What I do not understand is that the people which rent out the caravans do NOT pay any land tax.
I have to pay it for the propeties I rent out in Canberra.
Might dump them and buy the ones in the park and make extra every week.
Go on benefits and all is sweet. Just follow what the rest are doing and the government approves of it.

Also why do they hide who owes the government money (being in arrears)? Oh that is right invasion of privacy. uuummm. So in that case don’t invade my wallet. It is private as well.

As to help in getting the places up to standard where do I join up so I too can get work done on my own house. I do not own the land, the government owns all of Canberra, so that statement does not wash.

Chief Minister I need a new back fence and house painted. I earn less then some in the park so please help me like you are helping them.

Erg0 said :

Possibly because they’re not squatting on pubic land?

Now there’s an idea for a theme park…
Forget Wally World and come to Canberras own Pubic Land…

Or public land, for that matter.

Possibly because they’re not squatting on pubic land?

yeah, why cant we just do the same to the tent embassy, then bulldoze the place.

Gee, different approach (albeit fed) to the Tent Embassy …

JustThinking5:31 pm 16 Feb 11

From what I remember most of these people (in caravans) didn’t want to move out or move into Public Housing. Where they are now has been free of regular (house) inspections or any of the other crap that can go on with Public Housing. They can have friends move in and noone gives a crap. Make extensions with bits of tarp and noone cares.
Would be like being on holidays all year round.

I think the assumption is that public housing is not needed for people who own their own housing. Why should the government provide housing for these folk when they can just lease them a bit of land to put their houses on? Of course, I don’t know why the government needs to own the land either (surely this is a job for private enterprise?), but my point is more that I don’t understand why you’d be wanting more people in public housing than actually need it.

Of course, if someone can’t afford to bring their caravan up to an appropriate standard for health and safety, then surely it would be better to shift them into public housing. I just remember that back when I was delivering pizzas, there was a very wide range of housing quality at that park, and some of them were mobile mansions in excellent order, so I wouldn’t assume that someone living in a caravan park is living in squalor.

Does anyone remember the shit fight when the govt sold the park to a developer? A land swap occurred from memory…
We never did find out what was going to be built on the original site.

Has it been built on the alternate site and what is it?

Woo Woo, I’ll put my hand up for financial support please, thanks rate payers of the ACT.

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