Yesterday saw the start of the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s change of approach to relocation of houses in Lismore with the demolition of a house.
Today they have been demolishing a second house at 70 Baillie Street, Lismore with locals attending with signs in protest saying ‘destroying houses during a housing crisis is mad’.
‘70 Baillie Street was demolished despite being in excellent condition – recently restumped with steel, featuring new roofing, and constructed entirely of solid hardwood,’ said a spokesperson for House You.
Miriam Torzillo from Reclaim Our Recovery (ROR) told The Echo that, ‘former home owners on this street said they would never have left their home if they knew they would be demolished’.
‘Houses that have been assessed as safe by the John Lyng Group and are able to be relocated, the former owners are now getting letters saying the houses are not safe and can’t be relocated.’
It is understood that at least one person discovered, through a GIPPA following bein gold their house would be demolished, that their house had been assessed as safe and could be relocated. It is believed that they contacted the RA and that house has now been taken off the demolition list.
Pause demolitions
‘Ultimately we are asking for the NSW RA to pause on this demolition project,’ said Ms Torzillo.
We still don’t know a lot about the decision making process they use to decide to demolish a house at this point. We would like them to pause the demolitions until they can clarify these decisions with us.’
Another local who objects to the demolitions, Chibo Mertineit, told The Echo that, ‘some are over 100 years old. They have survived years of floods, they have been renovated and lived in after the 2022 flood. Some have the priceless old ‘Big Scrub’ timbers in them.
‘Destroying living places in a housing crisis is criminal,’ he said.
‘Over 350 million doallrs has gone into wages to support the 2022 flood recovery over three years, yet they can’t take the time to talk to the traumatized victims of the flood.’
Best houses taken first
The RA has told the ABC that they will be demolishing 62 homes in the Northern Rivers between now and mid-2025.
‘According to former residents of the street the house they demolished today was the best of the four slated to be demolished,’ said Ms Torzillo.
‘We don’t know where the other houses are. But some former house owners have been informed that their former houses will be demolished.
‘It is not complicated, what we need is a pause on the demolitions and a clear understanding of why each house is to be demolished. This would assure people who are still in their homes and those people who left their homes because they couldn’t afford to relocate them that the RA is making the right decision.’
Contact ROR or Lismore Peoples Assembly for more information.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
