A well-known advocate for squatter’s rights has responded fiercely after being labeled a “cry baby” by a real estate investor amidst a heated exchange over the housing crisis.
The confrontation unfolded during a recent episode of SBS’s The Feed, where panelists were tasked with deliberating the provocative notion that housing should not be treated as a mere investment.
Jordan van den Lamb, a socialist and vocal critic of the current property market, argued passionately that profiting from real estate is “morally reprehensible,” emphasizing that housing is a fundamental necessity, not a commodity for profit-making.
In stark contrast, panelist Eddie Dilleen, a buyer’s agent with a portfolio of 180 properties, dismissed van den Lamb’s perspective. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dilleen labeled critics like van den Lamb as “cry babies,” accusing them of unwillingness to endure the sacrifices necessary to enter the property market.
“There was just an overwhelming amount of complaining from Mr. van den Lamb,” Dilleen remarked.
He further criticized their views, suggesting that such critics envision a transition to a communist-style system where resources are distributed freely to everyone.
But on Thursday, Mr van den Lamb hit back at Mr Dilleen, calling him ‘out of touch’.
‘I asked him what he has to say to someone sleeping rough and he couldn’t imagine what that meant,’ Mr van den Lamb told Daily Mail.
Activist Jordan van den Lamb has hit back at claims by a property investor that he’s a cry baby
Mr van den Lamb said buyer’s agent Eddie Dilleen was ‘out of touch’
‘It’s out of touch to say anyone who says everyone deserves a roof over their head is a cry baby.’
Mr van den Lamb, who has a mortgage on a studio apartment he lives in with his wife, claimed people like Mr Dilleen were the reason homes cost so much in Australia.
‘He’s exploiting at least 180 people and he’s the one telling me to stop being mean to him,’ Mr van den Lamb said.
‘He’s increasing housing costs for the rest of society by expanding his property empire so I think we’re allowed to be a little mean to him.
‘If we’re looking at who’s the cry baby here, I don’t think that’s me.’
Mr Dilleen said last weekend the reason Aussies struggled to crack the property market was that many weren’t prepared to lower their standard of living for a deposit.
‘People are buying designer bags and going on holidays. If you want to get out of renting, then you need to sacrifice for at least a couple of years,’ he said.
‘You need to be able to drop your lifestyle for a few years and put money away.’
Mr van den Lamb is paying off one mortgage with his wife
Mr van den Lamb wants Australia to publicly build more public houses like these towers in North Richmond in Melbourne
Mr Dilleen said renters could get into the property market by, for example, saving $30,000 to buy a $600,000 unit, based on a five per cent deposit.
Mr van den Lamb fired back: ‘It’s a guy who owns 180 properties who is telling someone sleeping rough to lower their living standards. How are you supposed to do that if you’re sleeping rough.’
The housing activist, who has previously advocated for Aussies to squat in empty homes, called for a mass expansion of public housing to help struggling Australians find a suitable place to live.
Mr van den Lamb wants Australia to publicly build more public houses and not contract them out to private developers.
A report in June last year by UNSW Sydney’s Dr Chris Martin called for a rethink of how housing assistance was delivered.
It revealed that while more than 423,000 vulnerable and low-income households received social housing, demand was rapidly outpacing supply.
Between 2016 and 2022, waitlists grew by more than 26,000 households, while the number of households entering social housing fell by 6,400.
Dr Martin said: ‘It is abundantly clear we need more social housing. Australian governments have started to try to grow the social housing stock again.’
Minister for Housing and Homelessness Clare O’Neil is in favour of more public housing
Mr van den Lamb wants people to sell their investment properties to make housing affordable
Minister for Housing and Homelessness Clare O’Neil told Daily Mail the current government was ramping up its commitment to public housing after years of neglect.
‘We absolutely need more social and affordable homes, and it was something the previous federal Liberal government completely neglected, delivering just 373 new social and affordable homes over their decade in office,’ she said.
‘The Albanese Government is taking an entirely different approach, delivering 55,000 new social and affordable homes over the coming years, while also increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance and working with states to strengthen rental rights.’
Mr van den Lamb wants to turn every empty home in Australia into public housing, arguing that people shouldn’t use properties as an investment.
‘We don’t need investment in something that people need to survive,’ he said.
Mr van den Lamb’s preference would be for everyone who had a spare property to sell it.
‘House prices would come crashing down and that would be great,’ he said.
‘I also think we should have a state bank that offers loans at a significantly discounted rate to help people to have access to loans.
‘Look at how much quicker house prices are rising while real wages are declining. House prices are increasing exponentially.’
