Grub calling the kettle Schwarts?

All it takes is a couple of grubs to give tenants a bad name. (Rob Schwarten, Qld Housing Minister).

DH is shocked to think that Rob Schwarten could be so uncomradely as to call his fellow State Housing Ministers "grubs". Just because a couple of them like to lead the charge when it comes to bad-mouthing their tenants is no excuse for calling them names!

And anyway, look who's talking! If DH was game to flout libel laws, the rumours she could pass on about this pillar of respectability's behaviour when he's at home!!! Suffice it to opine that what we see here is a low Labor populist, a traitor to the values of the party he represents and the people who fought for them. Another politician determined to hang in there by Beattying the sh*t out of anyone who looks like they might get between him and the next election result.

Schwarten might like to consider that hoarding rubbish is a symptom of mental illness. And the more that public housing fills up with people with mental illnesses, in the absence of decent mental health policies, the "grubbier" its going to get. We already have 100, 000 homeless people in Australia sleeping out every night.

Great mental health policy, Robby!

DH loves the extract from the article below, viz. the tenants "managed to avoid the department for 5 years". In her experience, it's the department, under the instructions of its ministers, who manage to avoid the tenants, and manage very well.

And a nice touch from the workers' party, pitting the weak against the weak in some kind of vicious class warfare cock-fight, "Given the collapse of the private rental market and the number of people on the social housing list looking for assistance, I am sure that we could find people willing to threat their public housing property with respect."

At least Schwarten has admitted the collapse of the private rental market. Now wouldnt you think a creative government would be doing something constructive about that, instead of kicking the dogs that are down.

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MINISTER'S TOUGH TALK ON HOMES

By Kerrie-Ann Hobbs
Saturday, 16 December, 2006
ABC News Online

Neighbours have been urged to dob-in public housing tenants who trash their homes.

Housing Minister Robert Schwarten vowed to evict residents damaging their State-owned homes or harassing neighbours.

The Minister's tough talk follows The Cairns Post's expose on how some tenants were ignoring requests for inspections and turning their homes and yards into rubbish dumps.

"There is no excuse for wilful damage or bad behaviour and it will not be tolerated, and Department of Housing staff have my full backing in evicting anyone who does not treat social housing with the respect it deserves", Mr Schwarten said.

"We expect a high level of responsibility from all our tenants and all it takes is a couple of grubs to give the rest of social housing tenants a bad name.

"Given the collapse of the private rental market and the number of people on the social housing list looking for assistance, I am sure that we could find people willing to threat their public housing property with respect."

Earlier this week, Bentley Park real-estate told the Cairns Post they were disgusted with the condition of a public house in Lady Penrhyn Close.

They told how the former tenants had managed to avoid government inspections for the past 5 years.

Posted By DH to Diary of a Desperate Houso at 12/19/2006 01:26:00 AM