Overview
The fight to save The Rocks' Sirius Apartments has been raging for over seven months now, and Tim 'Rosso' Ross has no intention of giving it up anytime soon. In the latest of the Save Our Sirius saga, Rosso is leading a gathering this Friday, March 31 from 5pm. He's encouraging Sydneysiders to rethink your Friday arvo knock off drinks and join together in a celebratory protest of the Brutalist building and its relevance to Sydney's future. Oh, and Rosso is bringing the snags.
Despite the unanimous advice of the Heritage Council to list the building, the NSW Government decided back in September to replace the public housing with luxury apartments, effectively pushing out its low-income occupants in an act that many feel is anti-community and anti-inclusion. The public outcry was massive and Rosso, along with Federal Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese and Lord Mayor Clover Moore, led over 1500 people in a public rally to save the building. Afterward, protesters kept the fight going and launched a crowdfunding campaign, raising over $50,000 by 600 citizens. The money went to help the Millers Point Community Association launched a legal challenge against the NSW Government.
Rosso's Friday protest is in response to the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) blocking out the windows of the Sirius after the building's architect, Tao Gofers, lead over 1000 people on walking tours of the apartments last month in an effort to raise greater public awareness around the issue.