Suburbs change

The eastern suburbs have an over-representation of assisted housing relative to other suburbs and this equates to our having less power, less voice in Government.

We are taken seriously by too few.

I don’t agree with the writer in the same edition, Peter Gardiner, in ‘leaving well alone’ as he seems happy to discriminate against our suburbs by relegating expensive homes (Peppermint Grove) to other areas and not ours.

This just perpetuates adverse marginalised thinking about the eastern suburbs.

The western suburbs were originally working-class suburbs. Homes started out as small wooden cottages on big blocks close to the river and city and as the city grew cash-poor, owners found themselves living on expensive land in expensive suburbs.

Rivervale has the same location attributes as the western suburbs with its closeness to the river and city and big blocks. It is now appreciated by the public and this drives up land prices.

Some assisted housing in Rivervale is run down and in need of upgrading and money would be better spent by selling off the land as it has easily quadrupled in value, since purchase, and the money better spent building new much-needed assisted housing, for less, elsewhere; and this would also reduce state housing in Rivervale to within government guidelines.

The western suburbs of Claremont and Graylands were once mainly assisted-housing and as land values increased so did the profile of the suburb change to private ownership as the Government sold off state housing to buy more for less elsewhere.

MARGO GOULD,

Rivervale