Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 12 October 1955, page 1


OUTCRY RAGES OVER THE FITZROY SLUMS

FOR hours yesterday in Canberra and

Melbourne, politicians debated hotly the shocking living conditions of migrants in Fitzroy residential.

In Melbourne Labor mem-bers in the Legislative Assembly demanded an immediate curb on migration to ease desperate housing conditions.

Mr. Cain, Opposition leader, said:

"I have seen housing circum-stances in Fitzroy which I thought I would never see in this State."

Mr. Lovegrove (Cain Labor, Carlton): "The

Commonwealth Government is entirely indifferent to the social cesspools they are creating with migrants they bring

to Australia.

"We will not leave the children to rot in the slums in silence," he said.

Mr. Bolte, Premier: "This has been going

on for years. We won't scrap the whole migration policy because of this propa-ganda."

Mr. Petty, Housing Minister: "I intend to

do everything possible to assist and eradicate the bad housing conditions which are a blot on this city."

Desperate

Mr. Cain said the problem was becom-more desperate day by day.

Awful, dilapidated buildings in Fitzroy, crowded beyond description with exploited New Australians, were a grave danger to the health of this community.

Supported by the entire Opposition and Mr. Scully, anti-Communist Labor, Rich-mond, he moved the adjournment of the

House to discuss:

"The effect of bad housing condi-tions upon the health of the people, and the necessity of relating the migrant intake to existing housing facilities."

He said he had visited houses in Fitzroy which were a grave reflection on the welfare of the people of Melbourne.

In one house 30 people had to use one bath-room and one convenience.

These people were endangering themselves and the community and Parliament was entitled to look into the question.

"These peopie will make up our future popu-lation and everything we can do for the Austra-lians we should do for the New Australians, if we want to make good citizens of them," said Mr

Cain.

He said the Commonwealth was bringing people in shiploads and leaving them to the

States to care for.

"The time has arrived to call a halt to the bringing in of migrants in such numbers," he said.

Mr. Cain invited Mr. Holt, Federal Immigra-

tion Minister, to accom-pany him on a tour of

New Australian housing

|in the inner suburbs.

He was replying to an accusation by Mr. Holt, in the House of Repre-sentatives yesterday that Mr. Cain was "politically stunting" over housing conditions of New Australians.

# Continued on Page 5.

Outcry over Fitzroy slums

# Continued from Page 7.

"I will show Mr. Holt where large numbers of New Australians are forced to live in intolerable conditions, and pay exorbitant rents," Mr. Cain said. .

Mr. Cain said Mr. Holt was apparently more concerned with the number of migrants he could Import than with conditions under which they lived.

. Mr. Lovegrove said some of the houses he visited on Monday with Argus reporter Lindsay Mudge should be condemned immediately.

At 66 King William st., Fitzroy, a Greek who Inhabited the premises claimed that if there was any interference he would eject the occupants with their chil

dren.

"It cannot be permitted to continue," he said.

"The significance of the situation does not lie with the State of Victoria but with those who were supporting the Commonwealth to get as much cheap labor

into this country irrespective of the conditions in which it lives."

He said that in the notorious old red light district of Fitzroy, dilapidated brothels and abandoned ratholes of the past were being used as the creches of the future.

"I express utter distrust in the Commonwealth Government which is indifferent to what is happening in the capital cities," he

said.

"Mr. Bolte, In reply to Mr. Cain, said Australia needed 20-million population in the not far distant future and Mr. Cain's resolution, if adopted, would change the whole policy on migration overnight.

Because a set of circumstances had occurred, Mr. Cain was condemning the whole migration scheme out of hand and urging restrictions.

This would mislead a great number of prospective migrants and create the impression that all migrants

here were living in these conditions.

A great number of migrants had worked hard and built their own homes.

Mr. Bolte said that the conditions referred to by Mr. Cain had existed for years and years.

"We are not going to be defeated and scrap the whole of the migration policy because of this propaganda," he said.

Mr. Petty said: "We are not indifferent to the living and housing conditions of our new or old Australians."

The Government had given priority in its slum-clearance programme, as it had promised, to Camp Pell.

There, 148 families had been moved out, and 31 huts demolished. Sixty-six huts would be removed in the next ir weeks.

At Fawkner Park, 221 families had gone to homes and 46 huts demolished, he

said.

It was quite true that No. 36 Hanover st.. Fitzroy, was

owned by the Housing Commission.

But it was in a reclamation areaj and the present tenants would be moved out into flats now being built nearby;

The building would be completely renovated when the tenants were out.

Mr. Leggatt, Education Minister, said the health regulations and enforcing them were the concern of the municipalities.

He said the State Government had had nothing to do with -creating bad housing conditions by bringing mig

rants here.

The migrants the State brought were all personally nominated by a sponsor, who had to guarantee them housing and a job.