Aurora tower residents at war as parcels dumped in CBD street

The war between residents at an iconic Melbourne tower has intensified as parcels are dumped in a busy CBD street. Watch the video.

Resident warfare at iconic Melbourne apartment tower Aurora Melbourne Central has intensified with occupants’ parcel deliveries dumped in the street.

Business manager Jeff Leslie — a former Australian Olympic cyclist — was filmed on Wednesday taking the boxes from behind the concierge desk and dropping them on the footpath outside the building.

The 70-year-old was hired by current committee chair Hung-Jing Tiong to be the business manager of Aurora Melbourne Central building and is paid more than $10,000 a month for the role, despite no previous experience.

A marathon special general meeting was held between Aurora owners on Monday night with a vote held on disbanding the current committee, installing a new committee and overturning the ripping up of service contracts early.

Aurora residents have a long list of complaints against the owners corporation.

The owners corporation meeting is believed to be one of the biggest in Melbourne history.

Around 200 people attended and it lasted almost four hours.

A decision on the vote is not expected for two weeks.

Residents fear Jing’s decisions on terminating contracts could cost them millions of dollars in legal costs and compensation.

The Herald Sun understands the vast majority of those who attended the meeting voted to oust Jing and her committee.

But on Wednesday, residents contacted the Herald Sun to say parcels delivered to them and usually stored behind the concierge desk were being “thrown out onto the street.”

“It’s unbelievable — there was no warning, no reason given, just tossed out onto the street in the rain,” one resident said.

A video sent to the Herald Sun shows Mr Leslie taking a box from the reception area before dropping it outside on the footpath.

Another resident said: “It’s all getting out of hand. Someone has to stop this madness.”

Parcels were being removed from Aurora’s lobby and left in the street. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

One delivery box outside the building appears to contain a new TV.

Another resident said: “We used to have two people on the concierge desk. Sometimes we have one now but sometimes none.”

What’s the problem storing them behind the desk. It’s safer than out on the street.”

The Aurora building has a lot of foreign owners — believed to be up to 75 per cent — and interpreters were required at the special general meeting to ensure all could follow the meeting and questions could be answered.

It is alleged Hung-Jing Tiong has for the past two years “proxy-farmed” enough votes to take over the building committee allegedly using Chinese instant messaging app WeChat to persuade foreign residents who spoke little or no English.

Since coming to power in January 2021, Jing has terminated two building management contracts worth millions of dollars.

Each company has begun Supreme Court proceedings.

Hung-Jing Tiong has taken control of the owners committee at Aurora.

There are also three VCAT hearings underway started by residents concerned by her behaviour and questioning her authority.

Several unfair dismissal cases are pending with the Fair Work Commission after she sacked building staff and replaced them with her own supporters, including Mr Leslie.

Jing has also put up signs imposing unlawful fines, including a $50 fee for residents picking up their UberEats delivery from reception.

Several residents also had their key fob disabled in the wrongly held belief they were renting out their homes on Airbnb.

Desperate residents have made complaints to Victoria Police, City of Melbourne, Consumer Affairs and state politicians but all say it is a civil matter.

The Aurora building, at 228 La Trobe Street, is Melbourne’s third tallest skyscraper and is 88 storeys tall, standing at 270.5 metres.

It cost $800m to build and there are 1002 residential apartments comprising about 3500 residents.

The building, which opened in 2019, has an annual turnover of more than $6m.