Squatter case ends in Supreme Court

The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) is taking homeless people in Mullumbimby and Lismore to the Supreme Court this Friday, April 11, to evict them from structurally sound houses they bought back as part of the post-2022 flood buyback program. 

Chels Hood Withey from House You is one of the people facing eviction from a house in Stuart Street, Mullumbimby, so that the house can be demolished. 

The house at in Stuart Street was bought back owing to ‘special circumstances’ by the RA, despite the fact it was not flooded during 2022 flood.

The house was boarded up and left to go mouldly. 

Chels and multiple supporters took off the boarding and cleaned the mould from the house, and turned it into a meeting place on Invasion Day this year.

‘We want this house to be turned over to public housing,’ Chels told The Echo. 

‘We had proposed turning the house into a meeting hub to the RA, but instead they are taking us to the Supreme Court.

‘I have the support of 80 per cent of the neighbours in Stuart Street to occupy the house, and have been talking to the previous owner about having the house gifted to me.’

It is estimated that the cost of taking  the squatters to the Supreme Court is around $400,000, which is targeting ten houses, one in Mullumbimby and the other in Lismore (see page 12).

‘It is unconscionable that the RA is evicting people from perfectly liveable public houses only to demolish them,’ says Chels.

‘While the NSW government claims they aim to end homelessness, they’re evicting people with nowhere to go and destroying public housing. This isn’t recovery – it’s destruction.’

The NSW RA have said they cannot comment on the specific circumstances of this property owing to privacy reasons, and would not answer questions on why the house is scheduled to be demolished, or if they would consider putting the house back into the public housing sector.