Carlton Association - Compulsory Acquisition and Black Bans

Compulsory Acquisition and Black Bans

Once the occupants of the Lee Street block were served with compulsory acquisition notices, members of the Association intensified their efforts. They visited distraught residents and pleaded with them not to capitulate, and also held ‘open days’, whereby they invited people to tour the houses and observe their condition. ‘These are not slums!’ became the rallying slogan of the movement. The action group was also able to secure broader support from both the National Trust (which classified eleven homes in the block as historically significant) and the Union movement. The Builders Labourers Federation announced a ‘black ban’ on the site on 26 June 1969, which forbade its members from participating in either the demolition of the existing houses, or any subsequent redevelopment on the site. Eventually, the Carlton Association prevailed, and the wholesale demolition of the Lee Street block was averted. Several individual dwellings were replaced, but most of the Victorian fabric was to remain intact.

Over the following two-and-a-half decades, the Association was involved in numerous other battles to preserve the historic built fabric of the suburb against external threats, such as the proposal in 1971 to extend the F19 Freeway through Carlton, which would have necessitated demolition of houses and encouraged a major increase in traffic volumes through the area. Throughout its history, the Association also campaigned for improved educational facilities and better provision of community services, particularly in the areas of child care, aged care and immigrant services.