The Impact of the Displacement Announcement

Abstract

The minister’s announcement that all of the tenants, irrespective of their history or situation, would have to move, evoked enormous anxiety and distress. Tenants’ ontological security was shattered and they felt disempowered and extremely concerned about the future. Interviewees spoke about not being able to sleep, feeling physically ill and having to take medication to cope with their anxiety. They were adamant that the stress engendered by the announcement contributed to at least one suicide and several deaths. How tenants responded to the announcement was dependent on the intensity of their place attachment and their physical and mental health. For many of the recently settled tenants, the displacement announcement did not evoke much concern. However, most of the more established tenants found the period following the announcement and relocating, deeply distressing. They tended to have strong place attachment and had no desire to leave Millers Point/Sirius.