Mascot Towers residents accused of devising a scheme to secure taxpayers' money
The NSW Better Regulation Minister Kevin Anderson has suggested displaced residents of Mascot Towers had devised a scheme to secure more taxpayers' money.
The minister said owners had the option of taking out a loan over many years but instead decided at its recent special strata meeting to raise special levies, only to then say they could not afford the repayments.
Owners in the apartment block need to start paying levies of between $5000 and $14,000 a month for the next nine months to stabilise the building.
Mascot Towers owners have said they were "absolutely gutted" after Anderson's suggestion.
Mr Anderson told Parliament on Wednesday that the owners had "flip-flopped" over their options to fund essential remediation work on the cracked building which they evacuated in June.
Since the extraordinary general meeting last month, many owners found banks would not allow them to re-borrow any money.
They are now instead pleading for low-interest loans from the government.
"To say we had a conspiracy to force the government into a corner, or words to that effect, is just absolutely gutting for us," one owner told Domain.
Labor's spokeswoman for building reform Yasmin Catley said the residents deserved an apology from Mr Anderson after his comments.
"These people have not, under circumstances, sought a hand-out from this government," she said.
"What they have done is ask for assistance purely and simply because they have no other option."
