Jeannie Erceg

Radical Australia

Jeannie Erceg was one of 5 residents who resisted the demolition of their homes on the Barack Beacon public housing estate in Port Melbourne just a little while ago and says 'They can't make me disappear. I can say what I want'. Jeannie says the estate had a 'friendly feeling' and it was a 'wonderful community'. Like every resident on the estate, Jeannie found out her home was due to be demolished just 2 weeks prior to Christmas by a knock at the door by a couple of government representatives. There was no community consultation whatsoever about the most recent estate to come under the instrument that is the Big Build. Jeannie makes it quite apparent that the public has been shortchanged in the plans for the new dwellings, with thousands of people waiting ever longer on the public housing list.Jeannie grew up in Caufield and is a '71 baby. She is the mother to 7 children. When young, she was enthusiastic about being a choirgirl and went on to get married in the Carnegie church. Prior to her removal from Barack Beacon, Jeannie resided at the public housing estate on Bang Street in Prahran for 24 years. Her firsthand accounts of the treatment of public housing estates and residents by the government is illuminating. We thank Jeannie for joining us this week. https://www.homes.vic.gov.au/barak-beacon-port-melbournehttps://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/they-ll-have-to-carry-me-out-inside-the-public-housing-estate-set-for-demolition-20230316-p5csoj.htmlhttps://office.org.au/project/retain-repair-reinvest-barak-beacon-estate/