News / Housing
Barkly Street public housing residents face uncertain future
Tower is earmarked for demolition within the next 25 years
Mark Phillips
TERRY Martin felt like he had won the jackpot when he was allocated a small bedsit flat in the public housing tower in Barkly Street in Brunswick 17 years ago.
Located just a few hundred metres from Jewell railway station and from Sydney Road, the building has everything he needs – not to mention the “million dollar views” from his sixth floor windows.
From those windows he has watched Brunswick change as the modest terrace houses in the streets around him have been sold and renovated and now attract million dollar prices themselves at auction.
After a couple of strokes, reliant on a walking frame, and with other health problems, Martin, 70, would like to spend his final days in the 351 Barkly Street tower and he most likely will.
“I won’t change, I’ve got the best place in here, halfway up here,” he said.
“Million dollar views. I look at the airport, look at the city. New Year’s Eve I can see the fireworks.”
But the clock is ticking for the Barkly Street building, which is one of 44 high-rise towers scheduled for demolition by 2051 as part of a massive redevelopment of public housing in Melbourne. The state government agency Homes Victoria says the buildings, constructed from the 1950s to 1970s, are nearing the end of their life and are beyond renovation.
When the time comes for the building to be knocked down, residents will have no choice but to be relocated, potentially away from Brunswick and the community they know.
Neither demolition or relocation is imminent, but buildings like 351 Barkly Street are at the centre of a debate about the future of public housing in Melbourne.
Built in the 1960s, the 12 storey concrete slab building in Barkly Street has about 110 residents, a significant proportion of them from non-English speaking migrant backgrounds.
It is one of 12 state-owned towers that are specifically provided to older residents and are home to about 2500 people aged over 55.
Fiona York, executive officer of the Housing for the Aged Action Group, said Victoria could not afford to lose any public housing. She said there was particularly high demand for housing in buildings like Barkly Street that cater specifically for older people.
She said high rents and the lack of security of tenure meant the private rental market was a poor option for people as they got older, especially if they are reliant on the pension for most of their income.
“Moving into this 55-plus public housing is really good for them,” she said.
“It means that they can age in place. It means that they can afford the rent. They can stay there as long as they need to stay there.
“And it means that they have a much better quality of life … They’re close to public transport. They’re close to medical supports, and they’re really well located.
“So for an older person who’s struggling in private rental, it is a great thing to be living in these types of this type of housing.”
That was certainly the case for Terry Martin when he was forced to stop working in his mid-50s because of poor health.
Living at the time in South Melbourne, Martin recalls that when he was first offered public housing 17 years ago, he was given the option of either Carlton or Brunswick. One look at Barkly Street, and he was sold.
“It was like a bloody holiday,” he said. “Beautiful place. You couldn’t ask for a better building because of all the amenities, train, tram, bus, hospital, shops, everything is here … I love it here.”
Martin’s room is situated on the south-west corner of the sixth floor, providing him with sweeping views of the Docklands and West Gate Bridge, Moonee Valley Race Course and – closer to home – the three landmark chimneys on the Hoffman Brickworks.
A man of simple needs, his room is small and sparsely furnished, with a kitchenette directly accessible from the front door, a single bed against a wall, and a favourite armchair under the west-facing window.
A highlight of most days are the cheap and health lunches he shares with other residents in the building’s ground floor dining room.
And while he is wont to grumble about other residents, crime in the building and poor maintenance of some facilities, Martin is happy with his lot. Even though he has been offered a larger one-bedroom flat, he has never wanted to move.
A friendly and welcoming neighbourhood, his building’s multiculturalism, and community of long-term residents who look out for each other are other reasons why Martin could never contemplate leaving Barkly Street.
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But those same attributes that make Barkly Street so ideal for Terry Martin – its proximity to shops, the city and public transport and its unimpeded views – are also attractive to private property developers who would love to get their hands on such a prime parcel of land in Brunswick.
Fears that the state government’s demolition program will result in land being sold for private ownership have prompted the launch of a campaign this week to protect public housing.
Housing and social justice advocates will join together at the Capitol Theatre in Swanston Street on Thursday to seek the protection and growth of public housing in Victoria, which is the lowest in Australia at less than 3% of the total housing stock.
More than 58,000 households are on the public housing waiting list and critics of the government’s plans say demolishing towers like Barkly Street will only worsen the housing crisis.
The number of applications from people aged over 55 makes up about a third of the total public housing waiting list.
“What we’re seeing is a loss of public housing in these well-located places in the inner city where people want to live,” said Fiona York of HAAG.
“And the reason that we think public housing is important and needs to be retained is because you do have rent capped at 25% of your income, and for older people, you can get repairs and modifications done relatively easily.
“And we want to see public housing retained as part of the housing mix. We think there needs to be growth in public housing as well as community housing and affordable housing.
“So we are concerned that, although the land is being retained in government ownership, the housing that’s been built on it is going to the private sector and also we’re losing that housing stock in public hands.”
Merri-bek Council made clear its opposition to the demolition of the Barkly Street building soon after the plans were announced by then-Premier Daniel Andrews in late-2023.
That position was hardened this year by the council’s submission to a State Parliament inquiry into the redevelopment of Melbourne’s public housing towers.
It recommended that the demolition program should be halted and other options should be explored including retrofitting the towers.
The submission also criticised the lack of information provided to residents of 351 Barkly Street, who were “in the dark about their future”.
No timetable has been released for the Barkly Street building, which is likely to be one of the last to be demolished, but the uncertainty has been stressful for the building’s residents.
“It’s much more disruptive as an older person to be moving, and the fear of what can happen with that relocation process is really high,” said York.
“And so we’re calling for more support for people in the ‘55’ towers and more support for older tenants generally in other public housing that’s earmarked for regeneration.”
York said without the government releasing details of the condition of the public housing towers, it was difficult to understand the rationale for knocking down buildings that could be renovated and updated for existing tenants.
But regardless of the reasoning, she said it was important that the redevelopment of Melbourne’s public housing towers did not result in a loss of affordable housing for elderly people in good locations.
“[Private] renting is no place to be when you’re an older person,” said York. “Short leases, poor quality housing, extremely expensive rents, you just can’t live well as an older person in private rental.
“So what that means is that we end up putting pressure on the aged care system. We have people prematurely aged, we have people going into residential aged care before they need to. We have people fronting up in emergency rooms in hospitals.
“And this is because they don’t have safe housing, so we’re just kicking the can down the road, basically.”
A Homes Victoria spokesperson said there were no relocations planned at Barkly Street until the middle of next year at the earliest.
“This is a long-term project that will take place in careful stages,” they said
“Residents at 351 Barkly Street, Brunswick are not currently required to relocate.
“When it is time to move, residents will be given plenty of notice and support to relocate into a suitable home meeting their needs, preferences and eligibility.”
Terry Martin does not expect his home will be demolished in his lifetime, but he had a few sleepless nights when the redevelopment plans were first announced two years ago.
“When they first said you’ll be relocated, straight away, I’m thinking my doctor’s in Sydney Road, the hospitals are down there, the way my health is at the moment, where am I going to be [living]?” said Martin.
“Am I going to be close to shops, transport, things like that.
“I was thinking of my future and possibly all the other residents of how they’re going to cope with a new environment. … but now I don’t believe it will happen in my lifetime.”
Which means at least a few more years to enjoy those million dollar views.
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