Reprinted from the Mackay Daily Mercury.  Read it directly here.

Public housing ownership may move to non-government groups

MACKAY tenant advocacy groups have criticised a recommendation put to the State Government to transfer ownership and management of public housing to non- government groups.

This week the State Government was given the Queensland Commission of Audit report, which included a recommendation to progressively transition existing and new public housing stock to the non-government sector.

However, Mackay Regional Tenants Group president Merrilyn Rowler said this was a bad idea.

She said housing was a basic need and therefore a government responsibility.

“Housing is not something people should consider as a privilege,” she said.

“If you can’t get people housing in your society then that’s the government’s responsibility to make sure that happens.”

Ms Rowler understood this recommendation to transfer social housing to the non-government organisations was a way for them to cut costs.

“Fixing the system doesn’t necessarily mean you fix things for tenants” she said.

“They’re saying ‘I’m not particularly worried about the tenants in the system, I’m just worried about the dollars’.”

More attention should be paid to growing public housing to meet the high demand and slash long waiting lists, Ms Rowler said.

Even if social housing was handed over to community organisations, she said tenants wouldn’t get a say.

“We have heaps of concerns about that. These new organisations, the companies are run by boards of directors, who are developers and solicitors and people; everything is about the business decision,” she said.

Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service co-ordinator Koni Johnson questioned what the recommendation would mean for tenants.

“I think it would cause a lot of distress of people in commission housing, having to change over management of their tenancy,” she said.

“If (houses) go to a community organisation, I think the tenants will probably need to pay a bond, which is what they’re not paying now,” she said. “And where would they get that?”

Ms Johnson also questioned the condition of the houses and who would foot the bill for ongoing maintenance.

“Departments have specialised inspectors that will look at a property. Does that mean that’s the responsibility of a community organisation as well?”