On 20 October 2020 the Southeast Queensland renters union (SEQUR) process it outside a housing summit called by the government which was stacked in favour of Real Estate agents developers landlords and militated against the rights of tenants.
Inside the summit, Tenants Queensland’s chief executive, Penny Carr, called for “a register to keep rogue landlords honest while providing information about owners, including how many properties they own and where they live. Information about whether owners are renting out their properties on a short- or long-term basis – or had been leaving them vacant – could also be captured.” Ms Carr said.
But outside the Renters Union had far more to say about the summit:
SEQUR speaker at protest outside housing summit
“Why must we struggle to pay the rent? Why don’t we have secure homes? And why are 1000s homeless while millions of homes are vacant? The answer is profit. The reason why we struggle to pay the rent, the reason why we lacked secure homes, and the reason why 1000s are homeless is so that those bastards in there can make a buck. This housing Summit is a farce, it will give nothing to renters except for empty platitudes and do nothing reforms.
It is attended by the parasites who live lives love luxury, about labor, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ), the Master Builders Association, and the Property Council of Australia and run by the lap dogs, the politicians. (Shame) The very same (inaudible) landlords rule over us by creating laws to ensure their steady extraction of profits and by providing the landlords with armed thugs to force people into homelessness.
The landlord’s big business and politicians will not solve the rental crisis.
So what does this summit serve? The Master Builders Association who use this opportunity to attack their arch nemesis the CFMEU for the crime of fighting for fair wages and conditions. The Property Council of Australia will the red cape strangling development and the Real Estate Institute of Queensland will use the summit to argue that renters is ready forever and that we should instead be the landlord will only serve to ensure the steady extraction of profits.
This housing summit will not solve the renter crisis the landlord’s big business and politicians who will not solve the rental crisis only we can solve this crisis we cannot rely on politicians to save us and it says to each other we solve this crisis organizing but organized in our homes on the streets and in our workplaces. We get so this crisis by building up our fighting institutions and and workers unions and exercising a place of power of standards and as workers you could solve this crisis by joining your union: your tenants union and your workers union and standing up to the bosses and the landlords.
Change will never come as a gift from above. Change will only come as a struggle from below… and fighting is exactly what we intend to do. [Applause]”
After the speeches the renters union were on the march.
Ian Curr
21 Oct 2022