Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Sydney City councillor Lyndon Gannon is one of the few people in policy who have seen how this works from personal experience. Growing up in the inner-Sydney suburb of Glebe, Gannon had many friends who lived in public housing. Some of his family still do. But precisely because of this direct experience, Gannon is frustrated by those who, as he says, “game the system” to keep hold of bigger houses than they need, or remain in public housing despite earning an income.Gannon tells me about public housing tenants he knows who influenced their children to enrol in full-time courses they had no intention of undertaking so they’d continue to count as dependents, allowing their parents to remain in family-size houses.LoadingThe problem of under-utilisation of space in social housing is known to the state government. NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson’s office is quick to deliver the best numbers available to it: as of June 30, 2023, more than 16,000 (17 per cent) of all social housing tenancies were classified as under-occupied, with two or more bedrooms than the households needed. “This usually occurs,” according to the information provided, “as a result of household members moving out of the property during the life of the tenancy.” Recognising and acknowledging the problem is an important step to solving it, so kudos to the minister for that.Typically for a political office, the quotes I’m offered also take a swipe at the previous government for “mismanagement”. But it’s far from clear that the failings in public housing are unique to one or the other political denomination. Rather, they seem to belong to the political class as a whole. Because, as Gannon points out, when one government or another is trying to fix public housing, which often means moving tenants into other accommodation and selling off valuable stock to build or buy more, opportunistic political types will “latch onto” existing tenants and turn their cause into a political campaign against their opponents.Despite local government having no part in creating or managing social housing – which is mainly state-owned and sometimes boosted with federal funding – local councillors often use the issue to generate political capital. Where they succeed, or their potential campaigns act as a deterrent to change, inner-city housing, including multi-bedroom houses with gardens in areas that would allow people like Morgan to balance family and work, are left to moulder away and become unlivable.LoadingUntil the losers of these political calculations on immigration and social housing find a way to be heard beyond a few minutes on a talk show, this injustice will continue. Housing is already a key issue for voters. But to fix it, we will have to agree to see what’s happening at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid.Parnell Palme McGuinness is managing director at campaigns firm Agenda C. She has done work for the Liberal Party and the German Greens.
