View tax corruption explained

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we are outraged by the view tax that the
council popped in about twelve months ago, and it's really
affecting older residents really who live in the high rises.
What is it five levels and above? You have to
pay extra for your view? Pretty happy at level four
right now. Anyway, there are these view tax marches happening
and one of the organizers is a gentleman named David Robinson.

(00:23):
We've got him on the phone. You're marching again today?
We sure, Yeah, it was a great march last time.
You got lots of people.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, the police thought we got about two hundred and
fifty to three hundred people, so yeah, they were surprised.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, that's what you're hoping for. I mean, you said
five hundred be nice, but you're expecting more in that area.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Oh, we are Okaii. We're hoping. The police were here
the other day and they're worried about our safety. You know,
if we do get these numbers around five hundred, Yes, yes, definitely.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
You're doing it this morning. What time is it all happening?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
And I am We're living from Apple Park, which is
of us. It's circle on cable. The police have moved
us down there to hit us away from the light
rail if you like, because of our safety and the numbers.
And we're just marching over to Hodra again. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
How are you finding the response from the community. What
are the stories you're hearing about how this view tax
has affected residents?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Oh? I, view tax can be put up every year.
You're seeing like at less than five stories, there's no change,
but you're seeing ten to fifty percent rise as in
these apartment buildings. We've got pensioners in our building here
at Atlanta's East and they're in their eighties and nineties,
in their twilight years, and this is a huge worry.

(01:40):
They're on the pension, you know. Yeah, it's totally unfair.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
And so you're saying you can go up significantly each year.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
That's right. They can put this up every year, you know,
And that's the problems. That's the real issue with this.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
I have a faux nonna, she's my friend's nona and
then we've adopted her because they're not here, and she's
had to move back to Melbourne for a short amount
of time and let out her apartment to pay for
this view tax because she didn't budget for it. She's
in her eighties. They're the stories that people are hearing
and going through right now. It was purely because of

(02:16):
that that she's had to go and spend time with
family in order to afford her new rates.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
That's the reality, isn't it. And these people just don't
deserve it. That's the reality. I'll go to Morning two
this morning here with people in their eighties and nineties,
and yeah, they're copying it, you know.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
And then with the cost of groceries up thirty percent
since what was it the last election, everything's just going
up for you guys at a time when you shouldn't
have to be worried anymore.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
No, that's right, you know, it's not so much for me.
I'm okay. I'm here on the twenty sixth floor. I've
been retired thirteen years. You know, life goes on for me.
But yeah, other people, it's not fair. It's definitely not
fair at all.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
One more question, do you think a march is going
to help? Do you think the Council's listening?

Speaker 2 (03:01):
I think the council is more or less put on notice.
If this goes through, we're already paying the view tax
on our last two rate notices, and they're meeting on Tuesday.
If this goes through, I think their future looks very bleak.
I don't think anyone is going to vote for them.
I think Tom Take knows that they're on the knows

(03:23):
this council, that they truly are a rotten council for
what they've done to residency on the Gold Coast, you know.
And yeah, I hope that they realize their future. It's
not looking very good for them the way they've done this.
They've bought it in straight after the election, hoping that
people would think about, you know, forget about it. Well,
that's not going to happen. We will never forget and

(03:43):
we will never let them off with their hypocrisy of
what they've done to the Gold Coast and residents here.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Wow, mate, thank you well, good luck and I hope
they hear you so that we can help the people
that deserve it.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Thank you so much for your time this morning.