Activists say it was the first of many planned protests “targeting wealthy landowners deliberately keeping their properties empty during a housing crisis”

~ From Backlash Blogs ~

On the 14 December 2024, housing advocates and people experiencing homelessness occupied three adjoining empty properties in Brunswick, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Australia, which have cumulatively been empty for almost 25 years

This was a collective social protest against the greed and excess affecting housing in Australia. Occupiers believe an agreement should be made for the community to use these properties as emergency accommodation for people experiencing housing insecurity and the Victorian Government should forcibly acquire these properties for public housing.

Neighbours say that the owner of one of the properties refuses to rent or sell the property, despite regular offers from the public. These dwellings are a symbol of the problems with Australia’s housing market.

The fundamental reason for the proliferation of empty houses is that they continue to generate profit whether lived in or not. Based on median house values, collectively these three properties have more than doubled in value since they were last lived in. The owner bought 86 Weston St, Brunswick for A$430,000 in 2005; it now has an estimated worth of A$1.1 million.

Government reforms since colonisation have created a landscape where housing in Australia is now treated as a commodity rather than a basic necessity for living. When the area now known as Brunswick was first colonised and the land privatised, only 1 out of the 10 allotments sold for speculation at a Sydney auction was actually lived on by the purchaser, a legacy that continues today.

In 2023, nearly 100,000 homes in metropolitan Melbourne, or 5.2% of all dwellings, were found to be either empty or underused. This number exceeds the 48,620 households currently on the Victorian social housing wait-list, suggesting vacant homes could house everyone on the list twice over.

With 540,000 rental properties in Melbourne, utilising vacant homes would increase rental stock by nearly 20%. The number of vacant homes also equals more than two and a half years’ worth of new construction, based on the annual average of 37,000 new homes built.

This action is not without historical precedent. Dr. Iain McIntyre, Historian and research fellow at The University of Melbourne has written extensively on the historical role of squatting in the housing crisis following the end of World War 2. According to Iain, squatters “had the most impact in Victoria where three days after the house in Hawthorn was squatted the Premier announced that the state government would introduce its own legislation to give councils and municipal shires the power to install tenants in disused houses, with the state government to guarantee the payment of rent”.

The squatters published a list of their demands:

Immediate Use of Empty Properties for Emergency Accommodation

We demand that vacant properties, like the one currently being occupied, be made available immediately for emergency accommodation for people experiencing housing insecurity. Property owners, who hoard houses for profit rather than providing housing, should not be allowed to block the use of such properties for those in need. Referencing the Vacant Residential Land Tax (VLT), these properties must be repurposed when left idle

Forcible Acquisition of Long-Term Vacant Properties

If properties remain empty for more than two years, they should be forcibly acquired by the government for public housing under the Compulsory Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986 (Vic). This measure would prevent property investors from land-banking and would help ensure that housing is used for living, rather than a commodity.

Extend No-Fault Eviction Laws to Prevent Commodification of Housing

We call for the government to extend no-fault eviction laws to people occupying empty dwellings that are being used as investments rather than homes and meet the same criteria as the current VLT. The state must protect those using properties for shelter from eviction, and ensure these homes are not left vacant while people suffer from housing insecurity. This aligns with the Victorian Charter of Human Rights, which affirms the right to adequate housing.

Build community support and solidarity

We call on the community to support future housing protests, actions and occupations. This is the first of many protests which are aimed at addressing the insanity of prioritising greed and profit over people’s right to be housed.