Taxpayer Funding Brings Low Income Householders Closer to Gaming Sites

In an act of total disregard for community consultation the Rudd government has approved the funding of low income social housing next door to Mitcham RSL. They have in effect decreed through this process that taxpayers dollars can be used to bring those in our community who can least afford it to be tempted by the power of “the pokies". 

It has come to my knowledge that the Victorian Department of Human Services (Office of Housing is receiving funding under the Social Housing Initiative of the Commonwealth's Economic Stimulus Plan.

This information was detailed in a letter back in October 2009 and has only recently come to light. The letter signed by David Hodge - Executive Director Planning Services & Development Facilitation, states that the Minister for Planning is the responsible authority for the issue of the permit, under delegated authority has approved a 3 Storey multiple dwelling building, at 26-32 McDowall St Mitcham.

The site of the development is the small vacant block of land next door to the Mitcham RSL, in a densely populated part of Mitcham.

I challenge Mike Symon, the federal Labor Member for Deakin who seems more intent on sitting on his hands rather than representing the community to come clean on what he knows about this project. What role did Mr Symon have in securing federal money for this ill-located development?

There is a place for social housing within our community but there is also a place for strong community consultation and the need not to have social policies encourage gambling. Mr Symon must now voice his strongest possible objection to his State Labor colleagues the Ministers for Planning and Gaming.

This development calls into question:

• Lack of consultation with the RSL, the Community and the local Council
• The resulting traffic pressure caused by turfing out all those cars onto a very narrow streetscape.
• Social housing being located with Kevin Rudd’s federal funding next to a gaming venue.

Will Mr Symon make himself available to explain his actions to the local residents and to the members of the Mitcham RSL who will be affected by this decision?