How Many People Are Too Afraid To Speak Up?

Jules Thompson of Broken Ballerina has highlighted two instances of “disgraceful” housing for domestic violence survivors in Mackay - housing that is part of the state government's public housing scheme which allegedly smells like cat urine, is brimming with mould, and is host to illegally few smoke alarms.

Local Charity Exposes Substandard Living Conditions

Jules Thompson of Broken Ballerina Inc., the non-for-profit charity supporting Mackay’s female domestic violence survivors, has uncovered conditions in two homes which “no normal rental property would get away with”.

The housing in question is run through the public housing scheme, which is essentially a property rented out by private entities, whether that be an individual, organisation, or company, for the express purpose of public housing.

People who have suffered instances of domestic violence are often approved to homes through these housing organisations as the rent is subsidised by the government.

The first of Ms Thompson’s clients at one of the public houses is a young mother with two very young children who escaped a domestic violence situation.

Broken Ballerina helped her move into the new premises, where they were greeted with the smell of cat urine, moulded together curtains, no bedroom door on the main bedroom, as well as free-hanging cords on the blinds, which are illegal strangulation hazards.

Most notably, the rental property housed a single smoke detector at the rear of the property, which is now illegal, as all rentals are required by state law to meet minimum requirements for fire alarms.

“She was afraid to speak up, because she is and was afraid of being kicked out, because it’s either that or homelessness,” Jules said.

“This is not the first property that’s been brought to my attention either.”

Ms Thompson said that the young mother was incredibly grateful to be able to have her own home for her and her little ones, but that “just because someone was homeless and in a refuge, it does not mean that this is ok.”

The situation is still ongoing at the time of writing, and Ms Thompson has reached out multiple times to the property manager to seek to remedy the conditions but reportedly had been refused, as well as told for her client to give two weeks’ notice and leave the property.

The other instance prior to Christmas was related to Ms Thompson’s clients was a property with no air conditioning, in which the residents, another mother of young children, had been unwell due to the heat with multiple nosebleeds, and her younger child even vomiting.

The home also had no insulation in the ceiling.

The residents were redirected to medical professionals, being told that they would need to prove that the children’s sickness was related to the lack of air conditioning, and then the property managers would act.

Luckily, through Broken Ballerina and the Mackay community, the family received a series of portable air conditioners.

Items were donated by Mad Cow Coffee, Betta Home Living Mackay, as well as $1000 from Scott at Enlightened Financial Services for air conditioning.

Evan Corry, co-owner of Corry Cycles, also contacted Ms Thompson and organised a working bee for the young client.

“It’s fantastic, but it shouldn’t be on the community to supply these things for people, the organisations and the housing should be supplying or already have them,” Ms Thompson said.

“These places that provide subsidised housing, receiving government funding to operate and I would like to know why some of these properties are not kept up to standards that are legally required.

“It’s time that the public housing sector was audited, and every single public housing property looked at by an independent body who knows the tenancy laws inside and out.”

Jules Thompson, Broken Ballerina Inc. said that the housing conditions for Mackay’s domestic violence survivors were abhorrent. Photo: Declan Durrant

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