The Victorian government is selling homes along Skyrail during lockdown.

This petition is asking for the Victorian Government Department of Transport to seriously re-consider the December sale of properties acquired during the construction of the Skyrail along the Dandenong/Pakenham/Cranbourne lines in consideration of the tenants who are currently in lockdown and largely unable to source suitable alternate rental accomodation in the area due to low supply and the challenges of living in a Covid19 Lockdown.

We ask that the department delay the sale of these properties, specifically those in Murrumbeena, until a time when it is actually possible to source another rental property. We would suggest at a minimum, that the sale date be postponed until May 2022.

It is unspeakably unkind to sell multiple family homes in the one community in the midst of our sixth lockdown. It is surely unnecessary to sell these properties in December of this year. 

A bit of background on us: We live in a house which was purchased by the Victorian Department of Transport during the recent Skyrail construction along the Pakenham/Cranbourne/Dandenong lines. We are part of the community here and our son, who has suffered greatly during the lockdowns, is due to start school next year. 

Our lease expires on the 3rd of October. On the 26th of August, we, along with many others in the community, were given notice that the homes in which we live will be sold and we would have to go month to month on our lease. 

There are very few properties for lease in the Murrumbeena area right now, largely due to the continuing Government lockdowns. Those that are available are receiving large numbers of enquiries - one that we applied for had 17 applications within ten hours of being listed. 

We do not believe that the government has such pressing need for the funds from the sale of these properties that they cannot take in to consideration the real live families whose lives are being severely hampered already by the lockdown, without the added stress of the impossible task of finding a new home.