PARTISAN!

Reporting from a protest held by the WA branch of the Renters and Housing Union (RAHU), Cameron K. writes on the success of the protest in preventing an eviction.

For the first time in Western Australian history, a tenants’ union — namely the Renters’ and Housing Union (RAHU) WA branch — has taken action to prevent a tenant being evicted by their landlord in the form of a community-backed picket line, starting on Tuesday, January 6th 2025, and announcing their success less than two weeks later, on January 18th.

While the picket was ongoing, the RAHU’s immediate demands were for Nicola, the tenant, to not be evicted, and for the social housing provider Foundation Housing to continue to provide her and her daughters with a home, with their demands more broadly as a union include abolishing no-fault eviction in its entirety.

Western Australia is the last state in the country that is yet to abolish no fault eviction, meaning that while a tenant has no special rights to break a lease early, landlords are not required to even disclose a motivation or cause if they break a lease. Social housing provider Foundation Housing was able to order mother of two Nicola Torres’ eviction, despite her paying back the rent she was previously behind on when her rent was not adjusted to match her income.

Nicola has been living in social housing with rent based on her income for several years now, but was unable to work for a period of time. While she was not working, her rent was not updated to match her new, significantly reduced, income, meaning she was only able to pay a portion of her rent. Eventually, however, Nicola paid off her rent in a lump sum. After this, Foundation Housing sent her back this lump sum alongside additional rent, said they refused the payment, and began the eviction process.

“We’ve got nowhere to go and I feel like I’m at risk of losing everything.”

Nicola told the ABC that she had nowhere else to go, having already been in social housing and only recently returning to work, buying a caravan with the returned funds in the event the family of three was forced into homelessness by the eviction.

It was at this point the picket line was organised. Facing homelessness with no support from her landlord or the government, a physical blockade was set up with RAHU and community members standing between Nicola’s front door and the driveway to prevent a bailiff changing the locks. Successfully resisting the eviction on the first day, the day the eviction was expected to go ahead prior to the picket line announcement, and continuing until a legal case could be lodged.

On January 18th the RAHU WA branch announced that the legal challenge had been accepted by the Supreme Court, meaning Nicola’s eviction had been halted for an additional two months minimum, marking the first attempt at eviction resistance in Western Australia successful at allowing a mother and her daughters to stay in their home.

Once the the court date arrives, though, the threat of eviction continues. Foundation Housing and housing minister John Carey have made it clear so far that they support the eviction of Ms Torres into homelessness and won’t be backing down, but we’ve already seen that union and community pressure is effective in supporting tenants. Foundation Housing still has an opportunity to call off the eviction — and therefore any subsequent attempts at resistance — and allow Nicola to continue living in her social housing accomodation as she has been for years.

“We’re gonna see more of this happening if you guys don’t step your game up”

RAHU WA branch delegate William B. said to the government at the picket line, in an interview with independent journalists Last Place on Earth, referencing the state government’s support for Nicola’s eviction and their lack of support for renters across the board, implying continued support for Nicola and her children if Foundation Housing continues to attempt to force Nicola and her children into homelessness.