Minister for Housing: I WILL hold you liable for my granddaughter's safety!

My warning to the Minister of Housing, Jennifer Rankine, to the Premier, Mike Rann, and to the bureaucrats of HousingSA.


Vicarious Liability. And, in the improbable case none of you knows what this is:

A common law doctrine that renders a person (or corporation) liable for the acts of another despite no personal fault on the part of the first person. The most common form of vicarious liability is the liability of an employer for acts and omission of their employees committed in the course of employment.

In March of 2004, when the government and the public service bureaucrats sat on their collective arses during the years I was bullied and harassed in their workplace, I took them to court and achieved a court ruling proving that they were vicariously liable.

The Determination of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal was handed down on 25 June 2004.
Link:

District Court Ruling

For the past few months, I have been bringing to the Government’s attention (and to all the bureaucrats beneath) the plight of a HousingSA tenant and her children, one of the children being my granddaughter who is yet to celebrate her first birthday.

The house my granddaughter resides in is literally ringed by other HousingSA tenants, tenants with mental illnesses and mental difficulties.

I feel for these people, as I myself suffered greatly (and continue to do so) from chronic depression incurred during my years of exposing corruption from within the South Australian public service.

I do not condemn these people. The ones I am aware of are suffering and, at times, cannot be held fully responsible for many of their actions.

Certainly, HousingSA does have unenviable challenges. I, and others, can scream from the highest pinnacle when negatively affected by the actions of others, but...what would you do?

Irrespective, my only interest at this point is my granddaughter.

I have witnessed the actions of some of the other tenants, and these actions are extremely disturbing.

I doubt he means harm, but the man who runs around the street chasing children, with his clothes hoisted up to his neck whilst messing with his nipples, distresses the crap out of me, as it does the surrounding residents.

The lady who trespasses on other property, banging on the front door, screaming obscenities, turning on the water tap, then joining-up with the nipple-squeezing man down the street.

To give HousingSA its dues, it has, after investigation, raised my granddaughter’s mother’s category to a level 1 for transfer.

As a transfer, to me, is the only practical solution. Now, the wait.

I have done all the right things. Notified all and asunder. Worked within the framework. Kept my cool. Maintained a consistent rationale.

Now I digress.

As others know, particularly the homeless, more so the women with young children hanging-out in women’s shelters fleeing domestic violence, having a Category 1 status can mean Jack Squat!

Greenwith is a beautiful suburb northeast of Adelaide. I live not far from it.

So tell me, why is HousingSA selling 7 Ninnis Court with an asking price of $300,000?

Sure, no doubt there are reasons. BUT, try to explain those to Mary X currently living in a bloody Ford station wagon with her two toddler children.

Me? I do not give two knobs about the reasons. There is a relatively new home sitting up there in Greenwith being sold off. A home that I am sure a needy family could be moving in to by this Friday.

HousingSA is always selling off stock. And HousingSA has a SWAG of homes dotted around the metropolitan area with nothing but houseflies as tenants. These are indisputable facts!

HousingSA, from all accounts by the official comments to the media, has become more interested in the fiscal management of its business. From my seat, it has swung way too far in that direction, and as a consequence forgotten about and diverted away from its founding intent for our needy.

Dear Minister Rankine. Dear Premier Rann. Dear HousingSA. I put you all on notice.


If anything untoward happens to my 10-month old granddaughter, I WILL sue your collective arses into an oblivion of biblical proportions.

I will hold you all, each and everyone of you, vicariously liable. I have done it before. I will do it again.

You HAVE empty homes. You ARE selling off stock.

I do not care for your reasons.

Even when this dust settles. When my granddaughter is elsewhere. The problems in that street remain. In Minister Rankine's defence, I ask myself what would I do. I don't have any answers. These are complex situations.

BUT, as long as stock is being sold, as long as houses are sitting empty, the Minister is absolutely guaranteed one thing...NO SYMPATHY and certainly NO PATIENCE!

Oh. And an upcoming happy new year Minister. I doubt the homeless will find it any different to 2010.