Latest news with #socialHousing
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Neighbour from hell terrorises one of Australia's most exclusive suburbs after a noise complaint was made against him
A social housing tenant left neighbours terrified after blasting Hitler speeches and threatening passersby with a replica shotgun. Andrew Cambouris, 56, terrorised his neighbours from his home in Manly, on Sydney 's Northern Beaches. Cambouris spent 10 years living at the Bridge Housing accommodation on Pittwater Road before his apparent meltdown in early May. The spiral began when a noise complaint was made against Cambouris after he played loud music. The 56-year-old assumed a neighbour living across the road was responsible and set about making his life hell. 'My wife and son and I are exiting the property a couple of days later, he started shouting threats, "I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna stab youse",' the neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, told News Corp. The neighbour's wife came home by herself that night and Cambouris continued his threats. However, the family initially wanted to avoid contacting police for fear of further aggravating him. Cambouris' aggression continued to grow on May 16 when the neighbour and his son began setting up a CCTV camera outside their home. The neighbour recalled Cambouris 'screaming threats' while holding what appeared to be a shotgun, which was later found to be fake. The neighbour filmed as Cambouris yelled: 'Ah film me, f*** you, get f***ed. You wanna die? I'll f***ing kill you, f***wit.' Police received the video and a formal statement from the neighbour and Cambouris was arrested. He was charged with weapon offences as, under NSW, crimes with replication or imitation firearms carry similar penalties to those with real firearms. Possessing a fake gun without a permit could result in a maximum of 14 years behind bars. Cambouris was released on bail several days later under strict conditions. Those included undergoing mandatory breathalyser checks and not crossing the road towards the neighbour or his family. While the neighbour felt uneasy about Cambouris' return, he expected the 56-year-old would 'quieten down'. However, his rants took a frightening new turn on May 25. Disturbing footage showed Cambouris hurling anti-Semitic abuse from his balcony, despite the neighbour not being Jewish. 'Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! Kill all the Jews, ya f**king c***s!' he was heard yelling. The neighbour filmed the incident and called police but officers were unable to reach Cambouris as he'd barricaded himself inside his home. 'They said, "Look, there's not much we can do, he won't come to the door and we can't get access" and then left. That spurred him on even more,' the neighbour said. Cambouris later played audio from a Hitler speech at a Nuremberg rally, announced himself as the 'Antichrist', and called methamphetamine a 'cure'. 'Do you know the Nazis almost won World War II?' Cambouris yelled during one rant. 'Methamphetamine is the answer! But you must use it and not abuse it, or it will kill you. Paranoia will destroy ya!' The neighbour enlisted the help of criminal barrister Peter Lavac on June 6 after Cambouris crossed the street towards him. Mr Lavac attended Dee Why Police Station with the neighbour on June 9 and Cambouris was arrested the same day about 6.30pm. He was charged with breach of bail and fronted Manly Local Court on June 11. Cambouris pleaded guilty to the weapons charge and was remanded in custody. He faced the same court again on July 9 and pleaded guilty to several other offences, including intimidating and assaulting police. Cambouris will be sentenced on August 20. However, the neighbour and his family are frightened of what will happen after Cambouris is sentenced. 'My daughter was too terrified to come over. I had a cricket bat inside the door, we left [the house] as a family unit, we were genuinely in fear of our lives,' he said. In order for Cambouris to be evicted from Bridge Housing, the charity must submit a request to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Proceedings with the tribunal have begun and the case is listed for July 30.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
The Documentary Podcast Re-homing France's immigrant workers
France's last foyers – housing for immigrant workers – are set for demolition. But some current residents are worried about what they'll lose. Hundreds of 'foyers' - housing units especially for immigrant workers – were built after World War II. The economy was booming and France needed unskilled labour to help rebuild the country. But since the 1990s there has been a policy to get rid of the old foyers and replace them with a type of social housing. However, residents of the old foyers fear they are going to lose out in this transformation. Carolyn Lamboley has been visiting some foyers around Paris and speaking to those who for decades have called these places home. They fear for the break-up of their communities, for a loss of their culture and the little they have. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Australia news live: Chris Bowen travels to Pacific for Cop31 push; Coalition frontbencher calls for national cabinet after Melbourne attacks
Update: Date: 2025-07-06T21:10:03.000Z Title: Content: ACOSS is calling on the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut interest rates again tomorrow after the latest inflation data show that price pressures are continuing to ease. 'With inflation well within the RBA's target and decreasing, there is no reason to keep interest rates high,' said ACOSS acting CEO Jacqueline Phillips. People on low and modest incomes have borne the brunt of interest rate rises and desperately need relief. The economic conditions clearly support a rate cut. Phillips said a series of rate cuts now would open the door to stronger growth in jobs and help restore people's incomes after a decade of stagnation. Low unemployment should be celebrated, not feared. There is no evidence that our current unemployment rate is driving inflation. In fact, inflation continues to fall even with unemployment at these levels. We should be supporting job creation, not deliberately trying to push people out of employment to meet an arbitrary unemployment target. While welcome, rate cuts alone would not solve the living standards crisis for people who are hit the hardest, she added. We need an urgent increase to JobSeeker and other social security payments to lift them to a liveable level. We also need further investment in social housing and home energy upgrades for low-income renters to bring down energy bills. Update: Date: 2025-07-06T21:10:03.000Z Title: Welcome Content: Good morning and welcome to Monday's live news blog. The Albanese government will continue its efforts to host the Cop31 climate summit against stiff competition from Turkey, with climate and energy minister Chris Bowen travelling to the Pacific. And the opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has called for the prime minister to convene an urgent meeting of national cabinet after a spate of alleged antisemitic attacks in Melbourne at the weekend. I'm Jordyn Beazley and I'll be taking you through the morning's news. Update: Date: 2025-07-06T21:10:03.000Z Title: Content: While there's no confirmation of who will host COP31 next year, energy minister Chris Bowen will travel to the Pacific this week to discuss Australia's joint bid with the region to host the climate summit. Australia is lobbying to host the summit against Turkiye, and prime minister Anthony Albanese promised during the federal election campaign to hold the summit – if we won – in Adelaide. Bowen will visit Tuvalu, Palau, Samoa, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands and says the trip will help deepen ties with the region. It makes sense that the world's biggest climate conference should be hosted by the region facing some of the world's biggest climate impacts. Australia and the Pacific's joint bid for COP31 is about ensuring that the region's voice shapes global climate action for the benefit of the Australian and Pacific people. South Australia's acting premier, Susan Close, says her state is a 'global leader' in decarbonisation, with 75% of its energy coming from renewables, and a target of net 100% renewables by 2027.
Malay Mail
05-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Time to reimagine our social housing — Ahmad Ibrahim
JULY 5 — It is true what they say — housing is a human right. Social media is replete with cases of homeless people. It is a global crisis. Even developed economies are not spared. Affordable housing is not just about providing shelter. It is about restoring dignity, nurturing communities, and offering people a fair shot at a better life. It has long been a cornerstone issue for urban poverty alleviation in Malaysia. The Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) was created with noble intentions: to house the urban poor and ensure that no one is left behind in the country's march towards progress. Yet, after decades, it is clear that the system needs more than just incremental tweaks. It requires a bold reimagination. Today, policies for affordable housing in Malaysia are mainly focused on the direct provision of social housing, where the government takes on the role of building and/or owning the bulk of housing units, subsidised housing (such as PR1MA), and subsidised financing schemes. There are also supportive regulatory measures such as inclusionary zoning, where local authorities issue development approvals conditional on having a segment of the proposed development set aside for the building of affordable homes. As introduced in the 11th Malaysia Plan, it is useful to categorise affordable housing measures by their intended target market — i.e. measures for households in the bottom 40 per cent by income or the B40, and measures for the middle 40 per cent of households by income or the M40. In terms of relative need, B40 households are especially vulnerable to the challenge of affording a roof over their heads, and many schemes are geared more towards rental rather than purchase, though purchase schemes are also selectively offered. Across Malaysia, many PPR flats tell a troubling story. Broken lifts, poorly maintained corridors, clogged sewage systems, and unsafe communal areas have become all too common. These are not just technical failures but reflect a deeper issue of how society perceives and treats its most vulnerable citizens. More worrying is the social stigma attached to PPR addresses. Residents of these flats often find themselves socially and economically segregated from the city's mainstream. Job opportunities, quality education, healthcare, and safe recreational spaces remain largely out of reach. The result is a vicious cycle of poverty and exclusion that no number of new housing blocks alone can solve. The good news is that Malaysia has the opportunity to fix this — if we are willing to be bold. Firstly, we must move beyond isolated housing projects to integrated, mixed-income communities. The idea is simple. When affordable units are built alongside market-rate homes, schools, shops, and parks, everyone benefits. Social divides narrow, stigma fades, and opportunities grow. Secondly, it is time to involve future residents in the design and management of their homes. Who better to tell us what works in a community than the people who will live there? Participatory planning and resident management committees can empower communities and foster a sense of ownership. Across Malaysia, many PPR flats tell a troubling story with broken lifts, poorly maintained corridors, and clogged sewage systems. — Picture by Nahrizul Adib Kadri We must also see social housing as more than just a roof over one's head. Urban farming plots, community workshops, vocational training centres, and local entrepreneurship hubs should be part of every PPR estate. Housing should be a platform for social mobility, not a dead end. Equally important is consolidating the maze of overlapping authorities that govern housing in Malaysia. A single, well-resourced urban housing council could coordinate policies, leverage data for smarter planning, and hold stakeholders accountable. Lastly, sustainability must be at the heart of the next generation of affordable housing. Energy-efficient designs, rooftop solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and green communal spaces are not luxuries. They are investments that lower costs for the poor and contribute to national climate goals. This is a moral imperative. How we house the most vulnerable among us says a great deal about the values we uphold as a society. As Malaysia aims to become a high-income, inclusive nation, reimagining social housing is not a side issue. It is a central test of our social conscience and policy maturity. The time for cosmetic fixes is over. We must be brave enough to rethink, rebuild, and reinvest in our urban poor. Only then can we build cities that truly leave no one behind. Reimagining social housing in Malaysia is not just about erecting more concrete blocks. It is about crafting urban spaces that restore dignity, enable upward mobility, and break cycles of poverty. Those house designers out there must come forward to offer designs and concepts. This is what nation-building is all about. As Malaysia aspires to become a high-income and inclusive nation, affordable housing must be seen as an investment in human capital and social cohesion — not merely a social welfare cost. * Prof Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim is affiliated with the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy Studies at UCSI University and is an associate fellow at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya. ** This is the personal opinion of the writers or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Energy bills: Fall in number of NI people struggling to make payments
The number of people who sometimes struggle to pay their energy bills has fallen in the last 12 months, according to a survey by the Utility than 1,500 domestic consumers took part in the research between October and survey is carried out every year to hear consumer experiences of the Northern Ireland electricity and gas found the number of people who sometimes struggle to pay their electricity bill fell from 33% last year to 23% this year. The number of respondents who sometimes struggle to pay for gas also fell from 36% to 27%.However, there are certain groups - such as customers with disabilities, those who live in social housing, and private renters - who were more likely to struggle to pay their energy of consumer protection at the Utility Regulator, Sinéad Dynan, said: "We are very aware that some consumers continue to struggle paying for their electricity or gas and don't fully engage with their suppliers to ensure they are receiving all the support they can avail of."We will continue to promote the ways that energy suppliers support their customers and the extra protections in place for those in vulnerable circumstances, to try and encourage more take-up of these services," she research found private renters and those living in social housing were more likely than homeowners to experience payment difficulties and less likely to be aware what support is available.
