The Free

The phrase “We will be free when our workplaces are playgrounds” resonates as a bold challenge to the exploitative structures of capitalism and hierarchy.

It suggests a vision of work transformed—where joy, creativity, and collaboration replace drudgery, alienation, and exploitation.

This article explores the deeper meaning of this statement, its roots in anarcho-communist thought, and […]

We Will Be Free When Our Workplaces Are Playgrounds

It has been more than 14 months since the Israeli government began their most recent assault on Gaza and the West Bank.

The retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, has escalated to what the international community has called genocide, therefore, GRIID will be providing weekly links to information and analysis that we […]

Palestine Solidarity Information, Analysis, Local Actions and Events for the week of December 22nd

Many children were killed by Israeli strikes across the Strip on Sunday by Dave DeCamp, December 22, 2024 ,  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/12/22/israeli-attacks-in-gaza-kill-at-least-32-more-palestinians-over-24-hours/ Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that Israeli attacks killed at least 32 Palestinians and wounded 54 over the previous 24-hour period as children were slaughtered across the Strip. The ministry’s numbers only account for dead and wounded Palestinians who […]

Israeli Attacks in Gaza Kill at Least 32 More Palestinians Over 24 Hours

The charity song released to highlight the cruelty of taking Winter Fuel Payment from pensioners has passed its fundraising target of £50,000, according to the musicians who created it.

Freezing This Christmas broke into the Official Charts at Number 37 after topping the iTunes, Download and Sales charts, said Sir Starmer (of Sir Starmer and […]

Winter Fuel Payment charity song reaches its fundraising target

ByTurkish Minute December 20, 2024 A new report by the Stop Fueling Genocide campaign, supported by Progressive International, has revealed that 10 crude oil shipments were made from Turkey to Israel over the past year, eight of which violated Ankara’s embargo announced in May, according to the Gazete Duvar news website. The report is the […]

New report reveals multiple oil shipments from Turkey to Israel despite embargo

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

by Freedom News on Dec 20 2024..

~ 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.

Related

Amsterdam: Takland Squatters occupy adjacent building7 June 2023In “News”

Activists occupy third Dublin property to highlight Ireland’s housing crisis10 September 2018In “World”

Squatters occupy former Roylt building in Tower Hill29 December 2015In “News”