Where would you rather live?

Star St/Fitzroy Place has come to be one of the most protracted social housing debacles in Tasmania’s history. The plight of Hobart’s homeless and disadvantaged has not changed significantly since this sitter of a proposal, sponsored by Anglicare, came to Council in 2006 to alter a former nursing home in Sandy Bay to a accommodation facility. The Greens worked hard in support of the Star St 27 bed facility at both state and local government level.

The full Council refused the development, and the proponents appealed it to the Tribunal. The the Council appealed that decision eventually to the full bench of the Supreme Court, costing ratepayers $1000’s in order to stop this from going ahead in 2007.

More recently in 2009, State Housing Minister Lin Thorp has walked away from this proposal, a very sad day for the state of Tasmania, and Hobart in that social diversity has not been allowed to prevail in our city.

The photo is of me outside Town Hall with protestors Elizabeth Perey and (now) Alderman Bill Harvey silenced from asking “unsuitable” questions during question time at a Council meeting.