It’s a tale of two letters, delivered two years apart, containing two very different messages.
In May 2023, residents of Williamstown’s Techno Park Estate received a letter from Hobsons Bay council informing them that they were being evicted.
Because their homes in the former migrant hostel sat on industrial zoned land and were surrounded by fuel tanks from Mobil’s Altona refinery that were considered a major safety hazard, they had to go.
In July 2025, after fighting to remain, Techno Park residents received another letter, this time from Mobil, telling them that its large white tanks which were recently used to justify attempts to evict them, were now to be demolished.
“We are now planning to demolish a number of tanks, former refinery process units and associated infrastructure that are not required to support our reliable supply of fuel to Victoria,” said a Mobil spokesperson of the demolitions which are due to start this month.
Techno Park resident John O’Hagan said while Mobil was demolishing the tanks for its own reasons, the letter was still a relief.
“It just removes the original justification that the council had which was safety which it never really was,” said Mr O’Hagan, noting that the tanks had not been in use for some time.
“I suppose highlights the puzzling nature of the council’s original decision to evict everybody.”
Mr O’Hagan was a member of the Save Techno Park campaign which fought the eviction attempt and ultimately succeeded in having it stopped.
The leadership of Hobsons Bay council when the eviction notices were sent, including the chief executive, the mayor and all but two of the sitting councillors, have since left their positions.
Their replacements, including current mayor, Daria Kellander, have been vocal in their support of Techno Park residents remaining in their homes.
However, Mr O’Hagan cautioned that with residents of only one of the estate’s five blocks having their application for existing use rights approved – giving them the legal right to live there regardless of zoning changes – the fight was not over.
“There’s still applications for the other four blocks to go into council,” he said.
