Techno House, Melbourne: Council evicts vulnerable residents during housing crisis

A “close-knit community” of residents in a major Australian city has slammed a move to evict them during the ongoing housing crisis.

People have been living in the Techno Park housing estate for decades. Picture: Change.org

The vulnerable residents of an industrial estate in Melbourne’s southwest, suddenly told to vacate their homes earlier this year, have slammed their council’s ongoing eviction attempt as “shameful”.

About 100 people, many of whom identify as being from disadvantaged groups, were told by Hobsons Bay City Council to vacate the Techno Park Drive housing estate in May.

The eviction notices were served after the council suddenly enforced a 30-year-old rezoning decision over the Williamstown complex, which is situated next to a Mobil fuel storage site.

People have been living in the Techno Park housing estate for decades. Picture: Change.org

People have lived in the estate since it first opened in the 1960s, originally housing migrants and refugees but now home to a mix of renters and owner-occupiers from different backgrounds.

In the 1980s it was sold into the private market and rezoned as an industrial area, making it illegal for people to live there.

Regardless, residents have continued to live in the dwellings ever since, a practice the council has now deemed unsafe due to the property’s proximity to the fuel storage site.

On Tuesday evening, the council, in a confidential session, voted on a petition against the eviction put forward by the affected residents.

Councillors agreed to move forward with the mass eviction and to also establish the Techno Park Housing Solutions Group that would seek to assist vulnerable residents find long-term housing.

Hobsons Bay Mayor Tony Briffa, said the council “genuinely cares” for the affected residents and “doesn’t want to see anyone become homeless” despite enforcing the rule in the midst of a housing crisis.

Many of the residents identify as coming from a vulnerable or disadvantaged background. Picture: Facebook

The Save Techno Park group slammed Tuesday’s council meeting as “shameful”, learning only once the meeting began that it would be held privately without public discussion.

Ms Briffa said this was due to ongoing legal action brought by the residents that required the council to keep discussions about the petition private.

Affected residents are continuing their legal action against the council, with the Techno Park Residents Association sending a letter to councillors on Monday.

The letter claimed the council should take responsibility for enabling residential use of the land for decades.

Affected residents claim they were told 40 minutes into Tuesday’s council meeting that voting on their petition would be held privately. Picture: Facebook

“By enabling residential use at Techno Park despite the zoning, council has created a de facto mixed-use zone that is home to a close-knit residential community,” the letter read.

“Council officers have not been transparent about why they suddenly want to remove people.”

The letter also said threats of legal action by the council had endangered people’s mental health and led some to become homeless.

Techno Park resident Rochelle, who spent months searching for a place to live after escaping family violence, thinks of her home as an “oasis”.

For the trainee hairdresser, the shock of receiving the eviction notice felt like a “cruel joke”.

“I’ve had my life ripped from under me,” she said.

“I know how difficult it is to find affordable housing.

“My cat is the only family I’ve got left, and the thought of losing our home is devastating.”

Techno House resident Rochelle said the surprise eviction notice felt like a ‘cruel joke’. Picture: Change.org

Retiree Arnie had been “desperate” when he came to Techno Park 14 years ago after being made redundant.

“Suddenly, in the middle of a housing crisis, me and 100 of my neighbours get an eviction notice from the council – no consultation or warning, just get out now,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve been attacked by people whose job it is to care for this community.

“Will they really send 200 policemen to put us on the street?”

Arnie, also a Techno House resident, has been living at the estate for 14 years. Picture: Change.org

A petition to stop the mass eviction was presented by residents to the council in July. As of this week, it has 1076 signatures on paper and more than 20,000 online.

Residents are now accusing Hobsons Bay Council of “twisting facts” and fabricating contamination claims to “justify their plan”.

Lawyers for the occupants of Techno House claim the council’s eviction notices were not subject to public questions or the council officer’s recommendations and have confirmed they are moving forward with legal action.

Originally published as Techno House, Melbourne: Council evicts vulnerable residents during housing crisis