Hobsons Bay Council staff return to Williamstown estate renewing eviction anxiety for residents

Defiant residents of a Melbourne industrial estate who were told by council their homes were “illegal” are fighting the mass eviction.

Long-term residents fearing eviction from an industrial estate in Melbourne’s western suburbs have again been visited by “frightening” compliance officers who handed out fresh letters about their “illegal” occupation.

Residents of Techno Park Drive — a former migrant housing site that neighbours Mobil’s south crude tank farm at Williamstown— were alarmed when Hobsons Bay Council officers returned on Friday, however they did receive a note of apology for the distress caused by previous correspondence, including the initial May 18 eviction notice.

Ross Brennan is among the Techno Park Drive who got a shock eviction notice from Hobsons Bay Council.

The new letter, seen by the Herald Sun, states that council does not intend to see anyone become homeless.

Hobsons Bay City Council chief executive Aaron van Egmond said they had accepted community feedback and there would be no further enforcement steps until residents could outline their specific situation.

“When the council wrote to you, we did not know the extent of residential uses. We still do not know the full extent,” Mr van Egmond said.

The letter highlights that whoever needs more time will be granted an extension but also that council needs to hear from residents.

It acknowledged that people will want to engage in different ways and invited residents to make contact in whatever way they were most comfortable.

But resident Lara Week said it was “shameful” to threaten people, up-end their lives, then offer referrals to mental health services.

Lara Week and her partner Juan-Camilo Riano-Rodriguez are among the Techno Park Drive residents dismayed by the eviction notices.

“If Hobsons Bay Council are concerned about the mental health of residents, they will rescind the eviction notices and seek all possible solutions to their planning problem with the goal of keeping everyone in their homes,” Ms Week said.

“We are not leaving.

“For decades (Council) chose to accept residential use of the industrial zoned Techno Park Estate, people have pets registered with the council, and are registered at Techno Park on the electoral roll.

“We don’t want services, we want justice.”

Ms Week was alarmed when a compliance officer she claimed had numerous complaints against them for “degrading” and “frightening” treatment of residents arrived to hand-deliver the letter.

On the same day, Williamstown state Labor MP and Local Government Minister Melissa Horne met with residents who claimed she was committed to supporting them to find a just solution to the issue.

Ms Horne said it was a matter for the council but her expectation was that it would work with the existing residents and provide adequate time to manage the situation.

“We expect all landlords, agents and rental providers to follow the law — every person deserves a safe and secure roof over their head,” Ms Horne said.

“We take breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act seriously and Consumer Affairs Victoria will investigate and work with renters and rental providers where necessary.”

A Hobsons Bay spokesman refuted any suggestion the council reissued eviction notices.

“Council hand-delivered a letter last week because we felt it should be our priority to apologise to people for the anxiety and distress that previous communication had caused and to assure them that we have no intention of seeing anyone become homeless,” the spokesman said.

“We also want to offer them access to support services and encourage them to speak with us about their situation and what we can do to assist them.”