Kerri had contacted the radio station because council staff had told her she was ineligible for a hard rubbish collection because she lived in public housing. They told her she had to contact the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) because it was the department’s job, not Council’s.
Yep, you guessed it. DFFH said it was Council’s job, not theirs.
Meanwhile, Council’s Peter Benazic, General Manager City Infrastructure, sought to pour cold water on the fire with this written statement provided to ABC 774:
“We completely understand why this resident feels frustrated. No one should feel caught between different levels of government when trying to resolve a relatively straightforward issue. We are in contact with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and will work constructively with them to clarify these arrangements and establish a more consistent process.”
Not all public housing is equal
Council was quick to respond to TWiSK’s inquiries, with a spokesperson calling on background — a term used for information that can clarify a situation but not be published directly. All we can say is that the word “complex” was liberally sprinkled through a short but friendly conversation.
Later this statement was supplied as attributable to a Council spokesperson:
“We’ve been in contact regarding the matter and have taken steps to ensure the resident’s immediate concern is addressed.”
“We want to reassure residents that Council is continuing to collect hard waste for residents living in DFFH-managed housing, excluding towers or other complexes where alternative arrangements are in place.”
“This is on an interim basis while we work with the Department to clarify and streamline arrangements across the various housing types.”
Yep, complex was an apt description. But there was a mea culpa buried somewhere under the clutter. Apparently, the information available to the Council call-taker was not clear, and Kerri’s initial request should not have been denied.
“What are we, chopped liver?” asks Kerri
TWiSK contacted Kerri from Port Melbourne directly to get her views on the council response.
“It’s an indictment on Council that it took going on the radio to raise this issue,” she said, adding that she was “invariably disappointed with Council’s support for public housing tenants.”
Kerri said she had emailed the Mayor before talking to ABC 774. “I never got a reply,” she said on Friday.
“There’s just a huge contrast between Port Phillip Council’s lack of engagement with the local public housing communities and the City of Yarra, which is responsive to the needs of public housing residents and engages positively with them through various programs and activities.”
Ouch.
Devil in the detail
TWiSK checked the current public information on Port Phillip’s Residential Hard Waste collection and found a few tricky words that muddy the waters.
“The City of Port Phillip provides a hard and green waste collection service to dispose of larger items and green waste which can’t go in household waste and recycling bins. Please read these guidelines carefully.
· Eligible households can book up to four collections per year;
· Eligible apartment blocks can book up to six collections per year;
· Residents in apartments must book through their building manager or owners corporation.”
Clearly, Council call-takers need to be well trained in understanding and explaining the eligibility criteria, as well as the role of building managers or owners corporations, including DFFH.
