Jordan van den Lamb
Jordan van den Lamb | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Van den Lamb in 2024 | |
| Born | Jordan van den Berg 1995 (age 29–30)[1] South Africa |
| Nationality | South African-Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, social media activist, political candidate |
| Organisation(s) | Renters and Housing Union and Community and Public Sector Union |
| Known for | Housing activism |
| Political party | Victorian Socialists |
| Website | pingers4parliament.com |
Jordan van den Lamb (né van den Berg; born 1995), also known by his online alias Purple Pingers, is a South African-Australian lawyer, social media activist, and socialist political candidate known for his advocacy on housing issues and tenant rights.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Van den Lamb was born in South Africa.[3] He created his social media handle in Year 10, choosing the name 'Purple Pingers' as a reference to ecstasy pills, although he later expressed regret about the choice.[4] In spite of this, Van den Lamb still openly campaigned using the namesake. He studied law at university.
Career and activism
[edit]Van den Lamb is active within the Australian union movement; He is a member and activist within the Community and Public Sector Union[5] and is a supporter of democracy within unions more broadly. He is also a member and collaborates with the Renters and Housing Union.[6][7]
Squatting
[edit]Van den Lamb first gained public attention through his TikTok account, "Purple Pingers," where he posted satirical videos critiquing real estate agents and exposing substandard rental conditions in Australia.[4] His content gained significant attention, leading to the establishment of the "Shit Rentals" database in 2023, a platform where tenants could anonymously share their experiences with poor housing conditions.[8][9] In 2024, Van den Lamb expanded his focus toward more direct housing activism. He compiled and publicised a list of vacant properties, encouraging their occupation as a protest against Australia's housing crisis.[10] He also facilitated the organisation of occupations of vacant homes through social media where he is known for his so-called "deadpan" video style.[11]
Van den Lamb has also been involved in efforts to document long-term vacant properties, compiling a list of unoccupied homes with assistance from his followers.[12] He has stated that this initiative aims to highlight housing inaccessibility and, in some cases, facilitate temporary shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness.[12] Critics, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, landlords and real estate groups, have argued that this approach encourages trespassing, while Van den Lamb contends that his actions remain within legal boundaries and serve to draw attention to broader issues of housing affordability and vacancy.[12]
The campaign sparked national debate.[13] While critics expressed concerns about the legality of the initiative and its potential impact on property rights, some supporters viewed it as an act of civil disobedience aimed at addressing perceived inequalities in housing access. Van den Lamb defended the campaign stating that it was intended to draw attention to the issue of vacant homes while advocating for changes in housing policies to address the crisis.[14]
In 2024, Van den Lamb posted the address of a house in Victoria to his followers stating that the house was vacant and encouraging squatters to move in. Subsequently, squatters took up residence in the house, removing goods and installing a CCTV and heating system. The house had been mostly unoccupied since 2007 after the owner had died; his daughter received ownership of the house and had gradually been improving it as it was a "knock-down", but she wanted to eventually live in it. The owner was living there "a few nights" every eight weeks and had been spending "every penny" she could on improving it so she could move in. Her insurance claim relating to the squatters was denied, leaving her with A$70,000 of costs. Asked if he wanted to apologise to the owner, Van den Lamb stated "I guess so... I don't want her to feel bad".[15]
Van den Lamb's actions were criticised by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who described Van den Lamb as a "disgrace" and engaging in "reprehensible, self-indulgent behaviour".[16] Van den Lamb responded by calling Albanese and his polices a disgrace.[17]
Political candidacy
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In August 2024, he announced his candidacy for the Senate in the 2025 Australian federal election for the state of Victoria, representing the Victorian Socialists.[10][18]
In his campaign, he emphasised the need for affordable housing, stronger protections for tenants, and measures to address the growing vacancy rates of residential properties in Australia.[19][20]
Van den Lamb received 63,093 (1.54%) of the vote in Victoria.
References
[edit]- ^ Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier, Liam (2024-11-09). "Stories from the frontline of Australia's rental crisis". The Saturday Paper. Archived from the original on 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Fierce renter advocate, purplepingers, eyes Senate tenancy". www.thenewdaily.com.au. 2024-08-26. Archived from the original on 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Miller, Riley (2024-12-14). "Jordan van den Berg – The Australian Lawyer and Social Media Activist Who Is Shaping the Housing Debate in 2024". ProtectNFM. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ a b Turnbull, Tiffanie (20 April 2024). "Jordan van den Berg: The 'Robin Hood' TikToker taking on Australian landlords". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Voice for Members launched to contest Vic CPSU branch elections | Green Left". www.greenleft.org.au. 2025-02-04. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
- ^ "Pingers4Parliament: the campaign to get a socialist into the Senate | Red Flag". redflag.org.au. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
- ^ Red, Flora (2024-12-15). "Empty homes occupied in Melbourne in response to the housing crisis". Renters and Housing Union. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
- ^ Beazley, Jordyn (2023-09-21). "Dire rental properties getting you down? Sometimes it's better to laugh than cry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ van den Lamb, Jordan (2024-12-11). "The Purple Pingers Guide to Digital Organising". The Commons Socail Change Library. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ a b Bahr, Jessica (26 August 2024). "Jordan went viral online exposing dodgy rentals. Now, he's entering politics". SBS News. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "'S-- buys of Bendigo': well-known socialist to feature at housing forum". www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au. 2025-01-17. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
- ^ a b c Blake, Dean (2025-03-04). "Purple Pingers' Quest to House the Needy, Landlords be Damned". Man of Many. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ Hodson, Lachlan (2024-04-09). "Landlords Are Shaking In Their Negatively Geared Boots Over Purple Pingers' Squatting Advice". PEDESTRIAN.TV. Archived from the original on 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Jordan is going after Australia's empty houses. His method is getting him death threats". SBS News. 9 April 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Ritchie, Rosa (15 April 2025). "'I'm not rich': Break-in victim calls out senate candidate's squatting campaign". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ Dhanji, Krishani (2025-04-16). "Australia election 2025 live: PM accuses Dutton of 'dialling everything up to 11' after 'reckless' response to Russian air base report". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ PurplepingersTV (2025-04-15). The Prime Minister called me a disgrace. Retrieved 2025-04-16 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Announcing the 'Pingers4Parliament' (Jordan van den Lamb) Senate campaign | Victorian Socialists". victoriansocialists.org.au. Archived from the original on 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ Withers, Rachel (2024-08-29). "'Purplepingers' wants a 'cheeky revolution'. But does he have a real plan for the Senate?". Crikey. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
- ^ "Meet the Viral Housing Activist Running for Australian Senate". jacobin.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-02. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
External links
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