BY JARROD MELMETH
The plight of tenants who have reported appalling conditions in public housing across Lake Macquarie was the focus of a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Management of NSW Public Housing Maintenance.
Occupants are reporting an alarming number of instances of black mould infestations, leaking roofs, rotten carpets and broken doors and windows.
Member for Charlestown Jodie Harrison has told the inquiry that complaints about public housing maintenance took up more than 50 percent of the Charlestown Electorate offices work.
"Fundamentally the system is broken. It is non-responsive to peoples concerns and we are not getting the best return on our assets.
"The age of public housing stock and a failure to maintain these properties is one of the underlying problems.
"In Windale we have houses that were built in the 50s & 60s and they have not been maintained to an adequate level and many of these homes are now simply falling apart.
"Everyone deserves safe and secure housing, and it has got to be safe from a security point of view and from a health point of view," Ms Harrison said.
Ms Harrison suggested annual inspections as a way for the government to stay on top of maintenance.
"We need inspections that create maintenance requests not to just tick boxes," Ms Harrison said.
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| Source: Outlook planning and development. |
