City Limits

City Limits' monthly housing update with Shane McGrath from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and Jack Verdins from Friends of Public Housing Victoria.In the top half of the show, Keving mentions the event at Coburg Town Hall on Saturday 23 November: Voices from the Frontline of the Climate Crisis – an urgent call from the NTShane McGrath comes on the show to discuss retirement villages. HAAG featured recently on a 7.30 Report's investigation on Retirement Villages' prioritise profit over their residents. Also discussed were the upcoming rental reforms and their shortcomings as well as the long waiting lists for aged care packages. You can give HAAG a call on 1300 765 178 if you're looking for help accessing aged care services. Upcoming HAAG AGM: 28th Nov 11am-1pm Ross House. RSVP online or call 96547389. Updates provided by Jack Verdins: CLASS ACTION UPDATE FROM INNER MELBOURNE COMMUNITY LEGALPublic housing class action against the Victorian Government The Victorian Government made the decision to ‘retire and redevelop’ all public housing towers across Melbourne by 2051 on 18 September 2023. Inner Melbourne Community Legal ("IMCL") filed a class action on behalf of public housing residents in North Melbourne and Flemington against Homes Victoria over the decision. What happened in the class action trial?IMCL argued in the Supreme Court of Victoria that Homes Victoria's decision to demolish the public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne was made without regard to the policies and procedures it is required to follow. It was also argued and that Homes Victoria did not properly consider the residents’ human rights before it made the decision and compatible with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic). Homes Victoria said its proposal for the redevelopment of 44 public housing towers across Melbourne was based on the understanding that the towers could not be refurbished. They said the decision was based on documents that cannot be shared with the Court because they are Cabinet documents and therefore cannot be released. The Judge has paused the trial to decide whether the documents should be produced in Court and considered as evidence in the matter. The class action documents can be found on the Supreme Court of Victoria's website. What happens next and what do you need to do?IMCL will return to Court before the end of the year to argue the documents the decision was based on should be included as evidence in the trial. Once this issue is decided, the trial can resume. This means the timeline for the trial has been extended and we will not have a final decision until next year.Residents do not need to leave their home for now.The Judge has ordered Homes Victoria to not send residents eviction notices to make them leave their homes because the trial is still underway. Public housing residents can contact IMCL for free legal advice on (03) 9328 1885 or by email at info@imcl.org.au.Services overwhelmed as 3 million at risk of becoming unhoused, says Homelessness Australia report - Monday 18 NovemberA new Homelessness Australia report has found more than a 60 per cent increase in risk of homelessness since 2016. The Impact Economics modelling estimates that between 2016 and 2022, the number of Australians at risk of homelessness increased by 63 per cent, representing between 2.7 and 3.2 million people.due to increasing rental stress and low incomesservice providers say they are having to shut their doors to new clients due to poor resourcing.Homelessness Australia has commissioned modelling of the number of Australians struggling with complicating factors such as low income, rental stress or low social resources, and says people with two or more of those factors are 'at risk' of becoming homeless. "People who could have afforded private rentals just a few years ago are now resorting to couch surfing, sleeping in cars or pitching a tent."Victoria and Queensland the fastest growersA...

In this week’s food-based episode, Kevin and Zeb chat with dumpster diver and academic Willow Ross as well as Josh Cullinan, Secretary of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union.Find out more about some of the topics covered:George Mann: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/george-mann-keeping-union-history-alive-songPrevious episode with Willow: https://www.3cr.org.au/citylimits/episode/serrated-tussock-grass-and-dumpster-divingSong: There's No Such Thing As Waste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V7AbD-RuxMKing Charles' Aston Martin: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/11/prince-charles-car-runs-on-cheese-wine-byproductsLidia Thorpe's truth-telling to King Charles: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBX2oGMT4UG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==More on the campaign against youth and trainee rates in fast food and retail:https://raffwu.org.au/campaigns/industry/living-wages/

This housing week, Karina reads some news prepared by our regular Public Housing commentator Jack Verdins, then plays an interview recorded during national homelessness week with Jeremy Poxon, welfare rights advocate and officer with the Australian Unemployed Workers Union - check out the AUWU's new 3CR program, Breadline. Later we listen to a talk by Darebin Vic Socialists candidate Steph Price entitled A Socialist Response to the Housing Crisis, Originally broadcast on this week's edition of Solidarity Breakfast - thanks to Annie for the audio! Song: Happy Home by Siouxie and the Banshees To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

General news items and our usual rave with Kevin calling in on the phone, followed by a piece released during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games called NOlympics, translated and produced for 3CR by Karina with permission from the Cuellilargo team, Barcelona. You can support their work here. Zeb also references an analysis on trans sportswomen you can check out here. Later, we go to some audio from the Say NO to Lara Big Incinerator Public Rally from Sunday 4th August at Austin Park Lara. Charles Street (retired biochemist and President & Secretary of the new organising group - group ‘No Waste Incinerators in Lara & Greater Geelong’) delivering a speech to take us through the bad science behind the project. Thanks to 3CR's Amy Ciara for the audio; listen to more of Amy's recordings from the rally on this episode of Solidarity Breakfast. Special thanks also to local musician Abe Dunovits for providing the music for the English-language NOlympics piece. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin and Zeb start the show with a current affairs update, touching on:the disastrous oil spill in the Philippines cause by Typhoon Gaemi;raging fires in California;the impressive win for the Mirarr people in stopping uranium mining at Jabiluka;commentary on the allegations against the CFMEU; andWestpac's gag order on court dispute Helen van den Berg joins the conversation to provide insight into the fire at the ACB Group factory and its potentially severe and longlasting effects on the environment. What can we do to reduce the risk of these fires and mitigate their impact into the future? Check out the Australian Services Union’s petition against the privatisation of the City of Melbourne’s waste services: To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin Healy and Karina Aedo-Aguilera host a 'Transport Week' May Day special, focusing on our Union History, and featuring Merri-bek Councillor and community activist Monica Harte. She discusses her previous work life as a bus driver and president of the Tramways Union (ATMOEA) during the Melbourne 1990 tram strike. Later, Jack Howard, social activist who has done history research for the Rail, Tram & Bus Union (RTBU) Victoria, joins the conversation with an abridged history of our transport unions from the early 1900s to present. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Shane McGrath from Raise the Roof provided an update on the State enquiry into Public Housing. Shane also spoke about the Departrment of Consumer Affairs Task Force into Landlords. It is so under-resourced to be effective when it comes to dealing resident complaints.Would replacing negative gearing with rent tax and rent controls free up enough housing? Jack Verdins spoke about the Housing Justice Campaign, an Australia-wide campaign and petition calling unions to help lead green-bans and campaign with the community to offer these solutions to the housing crisis: 1. Preservation of Public Housing: Ensure that existing public housing structures are preserved and maintained, protecting the rights and homes of current residents.2. Public Housing as Solution: Promote the development of additional public housing to solve the housing crisis across the country. 3. Community Participation: Enact an inclusive and democratic process of community meetings (ie Citizen's Assemblies) where the input of the community genuinely informs any refit, refurbishment and redevelopment plans. If you want to get involved with HAAG, you can listen to Raise the Roof 5:30-6pm, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month on 3CR, you can head to www.oldertenants.org, or give them a call on (03) 9654 7389. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin and Karina speak with regular transport commentator John McPherson about all things transport, in particular a recent report on NO2 pollution in southern cross station - 1,200 parts per billion averaged for 24 hours over the last 12 years - 3.5 times worse than 'extremely poor air quality' levels. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This week on City Limits, we speak with our usual suspects when it comes to housing issues. Shane McGrath from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) comes in first to give us all the HAAG news, including information about issues in 'residential parks', and the unprotected industrial action (a walk-out for Palestine) that ASU workers in the social and community services sector have planned for 1pm Thursday 22nd Feb at 128 Exhibition St, Melbourne (Victorian Council of Social Service building). Later, public housing activist and advocate Jack Verdins joins us for a discussion on the recently released internal council documents with new info on evictions of Techno Park Estate residents in Williamstown, rising rents and government policy pandering to private housing sector, Victoria's pitiful lack of investment in the public housing sector, and more. If you want to get involved with HAAG, you can listen to Raise the Roof 5:30-6pm, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month on 3CR, you can head to www.oldertenants.org, or give them a call on (03) 9654 7389. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This Energy Week on City Limits, we speak with Freja Leonard from the No More Gas Collective (Friends of the Earth Melbourne) about Australian gas companies and their lobby groups, who are spinning a desperate PR campaign to maintain relevance, plus our usual news items and more on the energy sector. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin and Karina start the year with a recap on the good and the bad events of the past months, and later talk to regular transport commentator John McPherson about admissions of the city's bus networks, disputes over the long held-up rail links, the state government's financial pressures, and much more. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This Transport Week we speak with regular transport commentator John McPherson, and also with Friends of the Earth's Sustainable Cities Campaign Coordinator Elyse Cunningham about their Better Buses Campaign in the wake of 2023 Transport Equity Week, and why a comprehensive overhaul of our bus networks is necessary for sustainability and reliable accessibility to all services and spaces for those living in our city's most ill-resourced local government areas. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

After a 2-week cold-induced hiatus, Kevin and Karina return to the program for a belated housing week, catching up on the big news items we missed on the break, then later speaking to Shane McGrath from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and housing activist Jack Verdins. Discussing Daniel Andrews' shameful final announcement as premier to demolish all PH towers and why; we finish on previously successful campaigns and how the community has mobilised in response, with more direct actions around the corner. HAAG invites you to their Housing Justice Quilting Bee;11am-2pm,Thursday 26th of OctoberLevel 1, Ross House, Flinders Lane Melbourne You can call (03) 9654 7389 to register your attendance, or just show up! To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This morning on City Limits we hear from the rally held from two of the speakers who attended: Save Westernport Vice-President Jane Carnegie, and No More Gas campaigner with FOE Freja Leonard. They update us on the remarkable turnout of supporters who attended Victorian Parliament steps in the pouring rain, including some 20 Westernport locals who travelled to Melbourne in the wee hours. They denounce the pipe dream of a project, from billions of tonnes of new emissions for Victoria and the flimsy CCS technology underpinning the scheme, to threats for valuable RAMSAR-listed wetland at the site and the dangers of Hydrogen already experienced in the pilot shipment. You can sign the Parliamentary petition calling for the Vic govt to dump Hydrogen from Coal for Japan by visiting: https://bit.ly/No2HESC Please add your signature and share! Later, we speak with an attendee of the recent ALP national conference, Jack Howard from Labor against War, a grassroots network of ALP members opposed to Australia being led into another US-led war. He gives an analysis of why the AUKUS deal was passed despite many dissenting voices within the party, and gives a detailed explanation of the debate at the conference, the factions and individuals involved, and the Orwellian doublespeak pervading the mainstream media and government discourse on the issue of 'defence'. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

We begin the show this week interviewing Julia Stockigt from Save Westernport, about the plan to produce brown-coal hydrogen from the Latrobe Valley for export through Westernport Bay. What does it mean for safety and ecology in Victoria, and who the key state and federal ministers are in approving the needless development? Notably, she calls for clarification on the recent announcement that Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny is responsible for clean energy projects... is brown coal hydrogen clean, and does this change the ability of Shire Councils to push back? Next up we speak with Dave Sweeney, anti-nuclear campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation, about all things nuclear, including the Oppenheimer film release around the 78th Anniversary of the US bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the AUKUS debate at the recent ALP national conference, Japan's imminent release of radioactive Fukushima water into the Pacific, and the good news of the win for Barngarla traditional owners in Federal Court - no nuclear waste dump in Kimba! Join Save Westernport, Friends of the Earth, and Greens MP Ellen Sandell, rallying to oppose the project on Wednesday 30th August at 8:30am on the steps of Victorian Parliament To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This week Kevin and Karina speak with Ivan Carter from the Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party, discussing their work which aims to eradicate the plant in southeastern Australia. We then hear from Zeb and guest Willow about dumpster diving and more!In the news:Woolies install AI security cameras to prevent shoplifting.A possible rent freeze in VictoriaCFMEU calls for super profits taxAukus deal updates within the labor party Interview with Ivan (Timestamp 20:25)Serrated Tussock grass is an invasive weed native to South America which started to take over grasslands in the 90s. Introduced initially as a landscaping plant, it thrived in the Victorian climate and has started to displace native species.Go to https://serratedtussock.com/ to learn how to identify and remove the weed.Interview with Willow (Timestamp 33:15)Zeb interviews Willow, a researcher and writer studying food waste and urban wildlife, combining those two elements into one. They talk about the practice of dumpster diving, the supermarket system, and seeing waste in a new light. They also touch on the non human animals who have adapted to thrive on what we throw away.Resources to learn more about food waste:Food not bombs: https://fnbmelb.noblogs.org/Melbourne fregan coop: https://www.instagram.com/melbfreegancoop/?hl=enCatalyst Really Really Free Market – Naarm: https://www.facebook.com/RRFMnaarm/Find the zine guide to dumpster diving at the Catalyst Social Centre: 144-146 Sydney Rd, Coburg VIC 3058Or the digital zine here: https://issuu.com/binchickenink/docs/whatafknwasteStudy mentioned: Why city 'bin chickens' could be their country cousins' saviour:https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/october-2021/Why-city-bin-chickens-could-be-their-country-cousins-saviourHere is My Heart by Joscelyn Wynter (Timestamp 52:45)https://www.youtube.com/@joscelynwyntermusicTony Bennett tribute (Timestamp 55:45)

On this episode of City Limits, Kevin has an interview with Helen van den Berg with a 'deep-dive' on the imminent projected global water shortage in relation to our local Sustainable Water Strategy. She describes our current 25% reduction in freshwater supply and its significant projected decline, citing long-term governmental mismanagement, corporations' bulk water entitlements, and more. She also talks solutions; discussing her involvement in the Concerned Waterways Alliance, a network of community and environment groups from the Snowy River in Gippsland to the Barwon River in the Otways, and their aims to inform government and the public about the degraded state of Victoria’s rivers, wetlands and aquifers, and their committment to improving their health for the benefit of current and future generations. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This episode of City Limits features audio from the Accessible Transport for ALL Rally that took place in Brunswick on 17th July 2023. We listen to speeches from Bram Heinrich-McPartlan (Chair of the Merri-bek Disability Reference Group), Councillor Monica Harte (Merri-bek, North-West Ward), and Elyse Cunningham (Sustainable Cities Campaigner at FOE Melbourne), music from the Riff Raff Radical Marching Band, and some words from Councillor Sue Bolton (Merri-bek, North-East Ward). Approximately 300 people attended the rally, stopping traffic and trams at the corner of Brunswick Town Hall. Later, we speak with regular transport commentator John McPherson, about public transport accessibility, Transurban, Labor's developments in the western suburbs of Melbourne, rail-freight, and more. You can follow the the Sydney Road Accessible Transport Campaign on Facebook, join your organisation by emailing SATSnow0@gmail.com, and sign the Legislative E-petition until 10th November 2023. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This week on City Limits we speak with Professor Paddy Moriarty about electric vehicles, travel-associated pollution, issues in supply chains of common batteries, and overall energy efficiency. Later we have an extended chat with Freja Leonard, No More Gas campaign coordinator at Friends of the Earth Vic about fossil fuel and renewables industries in this country, the proven (wrong) tech behind carbon capture and storage, the proposed HESC project to export dirty brown coal hydrogen from Gippsland to Japan via Westernport, and more Sign the petition to stop the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project here. Song: Place Like This - Nadine Shah To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Stay Tuned & Stay Radical this year for Kevin's favourite program of the year, the City Limits Radiothon special! This Wednesday 14th June, Kevin and Karina share a cuppa and some banter over the latest news items, interspersed with a special message from co-host Zeb Peake, and later, interviews with John McPherson about the North East Rail Link and Helen van den Berg about the newly formed Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association and the fight against ever more environmental destruction out west. If you would like to donate or make a pledge, head to www.3cr.org.au, or give the station a call during office hours on (03) 9419 8377 - every penny counts! A big Thank-You to all the ongoing supporters and special guests who contribute to our unique community media space!