On Tuesday night roughly 50 people protested outside a meeting of Hobsons Bay Council to stand against the mass eviction of up to 100 residents of Techno Park Drive in Williamstown. Residents and community supporters held signs reading “once a home, always a home”. The protesters called for the council to cancel the evictions, which are the result of a new decision to enforce a 30-year old zoning which declares that the area is industrial rather than residential. They submitted a 153 signature petition to the council, which said “We are appalled by the Council’s attempted eviction of the Techno Park community from their homes. People have lived at Techno Park for decades. Residents have built a life, made their homes, started families, and transformed Techno Park into a green and safe place”. The council unanimously voted to “receive and note” the petition.
Lara Week, a resident, said “The council has treated Techno Park residents like we are disposable and powerless. We are not. We have so much care for one another, and it was amazing to feel last night how far that care extends into the wider community.”
Emilia, an 11-year-old resident who has lived in the housing for five years, said “The protest was good. I didn’t know whether everybody would ever come together like this, and now I just feel like wow, people really want to live here. Imagine peacefully sitting in the living room watching a show with one of your friends, and then suddenly you have to leave your home. I don’t know why the council had to scare us like this. We’re going to do everything we can to make it stop, because this is a community and I want it to stay like that.”
In late May, all units received letters which stated that residents had to immediately leave their homes and that full-time residential occupation of the units contravened the Hobsons Bay council’s planning scheme. The housing was built by the Commonwealth in the 1960s to house migrants, and was released onto the private market in 1988 and zoned industrial 1. People have consistently lived in the units since then, and real estate agents have advertised the housing to suggest it is residential; including posting listings which do not mention the industrial zoning. The community who live in the housing is diverse and includes migrants, elderly people, LGBTI+ people and families. The blocks have gardens maintained by residents, and a strong sense of community.
Since the Tuesday council meeting and media attention, many people have reached out wanting to help the Techno Park community. If you'd like contact residents directly, you can write to techno.park.residents@gmail.com
Photo by Gianna Rizzo