Staff members and patrons arrived to find they were unable to open the doors of the building, and were later told that the building had been deemed unsafe due to sub-standard fire ratings. The abrupt nature of the eviction caused major disruptions to GYS’s operations and sparked fears about a possible attempt by the state government to privatise the building.
Hundreds of community members became involved in an effort to ensure GYS’s future tenancy of the building. Jamie Parker, member for Balmain, led a rally held on December 11 at Glebe Public School, which over 100 people attended. Mr Parker summed up the concerns of many when he said: “This is about government greed winning out over community needs … they’re locking out kids and selling off precious assets buildings – it’s a disgrace.” As well as the rally, hundreds signed petitions and sent in letters of support to GYS.
Although GYS staff say they maintained good relations with the Land and Housing Corporation, they were unable to acquire a copy of the fire safety report in question. Jamie Parker believes that the Land and Housing Corporation were “negligent” in their handling of the situation saying “while safety concerns are paramount … (they) should have identified any safety issues long ago”. The Department of Housing has said that it is performing all urgent repairs to allow GYS to return to the premises as soon as possible.
Despite this positive step, there are still issues being faced by GYS and its patrons – primarily lack of access to services during the time that it has had no building. GYS has attempted to maintain services using the facilities available, with activities such as sports classes being held in public parks. However, it is still limited in what it can provide until it can access the building again.
Hilary Chesworth of Redfern Legal Centre says that the current situation makes it “very hard to manage case work for young people at risk”. She believes that the next step to guarantee the future of GYS is to petition for a new lease once they return.
