Mobile home act needed
ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has called for the development of legislation to protect residents of long stay caravan parks to begin now.
“People who live in long stay caravan parks need security and rights just as much as people who rent their home” Dr Foskey said today.
“There is legislation that applies to mobile home and long stay caravan parks in NSW, but there is no such protection here in Canberra.”
“We have just seen the residents Narrabundah Long Stay Park threatened with eviction in order to coerce the ACT Government into offering the developer a generous deal to swap the Park for another block of land.”
“It is not acceptable that people who rent or own their mobile homes have so much less protection than tenants in private or government housing.”
“I understand saving the homes of the Narrabundah Long Stay residents was the first priority of this Government. But now it’s time for a more coherent approach.”
“The ACT Government has not yet begun to draft legislation to fill the gap. If the Government is not prepared to kick off the project now, the ACT Greens are happy to develop a draft bill ourselves and begin the process of consultation.”
“And that means the full exploration of possible ownership and tenancy models – from coops to companies to community housing –with reasonable security of tenure, and tenants rights, built in” Dr Foskey said.
