We are not in quite the same situation as the letter-writer below.
While we own the house we are living in,the neighbours live in a house owned by the Victorian Department of Housing.
These are two villa units, numbers one and two, and the one at the front of the driveway is unit 1. We are the second one along the driveway, unit 2.
Unit 1, the public housing unit, is administered by an organisation which used to be called North East Housing, and it is now called Home, Haven, Safe.
As far as we were able to ascertain, the house was called transitional housing, the purpose of which was to provide temporary housing, often for people who had suffered from domestic violence, and it was to be temporary until more suitable premises could be found for the tenant.
We have, in the 17years since we have been living in the house, been fortunate to have had some people living there, some with children, some without, who have been friendly, kind and helpful to the two of us who are now two old males aged 95 and 91.
We do not own a car, and the current tenants have,in the year since they have been living there, owned one, two and three cars. Each house has a single garage and there are notices at the front and middle of the driveway stating that there is to be no parking in the driveway at any time.
Letter in The Age - 24 OCTOBER 2017:
Legal black hole
I was listening on ABC News Radio and found that it was broadcasting a federal parliamentary debate about White Ribbon Day. It struck a strong chord with me.
I am a 77-year-old woman in poor health living alone and I am planning to leave my own home that I love to escape from verbal and psychological abuse from my elderly male neighbour.
He has been vandalising my garden with poisons and cutting implements for the past 14 years. Each time he sees me outside the house the shouting and threats begin again. I have talked to the local police and Seniors Rights who both say there is nothing they or I can do to protect myself from this constant bullying and intimidation.
I see a big hole in the laws surrounding violence towards women. If I was living on my neighbour's side of the fence his behaviour would be called domestic violence, but as his neighbour rather than his wife I am totally unprotected.
I also believe that if I was a strong healthy young male rather than an old woman it would not be happening at all.
Name and address supplied
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