Geoff Smiley, Chair of the Bayside Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service shares his heartfelt views about the withdrawal of funding to their service

The Government’s recent decision to close down Tenant Advice and Advocacy (TAAS) programs across Queensland is cruel in its blatant disregard for the disadvantaged. As chair of one of the management committees (Bayside TAAS) I can only infer from what has happened that the Government is incompetent in identifying where cuts should be made or wants to direct resources away from the disadvantaged. How else would they decide a self-funding; frontline; and community managed service (by volunteers!) be discontinued.

Having worked in middle management in Government it is also not too hard to imagine that our service has been sacrificed by those in the bureaucracy who wish no cost cutting to reach their own areas. How will local communities cope without the TAAS specialist service? It is likely I suppose that as usual the powerless will suffer.

While I do not want to detract from the issue of renter disadvantage, I would like to discuss the effect of the closure decision on staff, management committees and the local communities in which we have worked. The Government seems blasé about the effects of their decision on individuals and the community; and seems to rely on a belief that this cost cutting has general community support.

The establishment of TAAS came out of an identified need for such a service and resulted in a partnership between Government and local communities. I do not know the historical detail but what came about was local management committees of volunteers managing the service, funded by Government allocation. The benefits to Government have been locally based management i.e. greater sensitivity to need and much cheaper cost for the service.

It is amazing to me that 23 TAAS services across Queensland cost a total of only 5 to 6 million dollars per year. Now if Government could be so frugal! We as staff and members of management committees have given our time and ourselves for the worthy goal of helping provide a service to the disadvantaged. This is a purpose we truly believe in.

To be notified by email of the decision to defund the service is a betrayal of the partnership we thought existed between us and Government. No consultation whatsoever! To add insult we are now required to spend many hours in dismantling the service. This we will do but for me it is under protest. We (as do many others) feel outrage that renters have lost a service which is funded from their own rental bonds held in trust. When I wrote complaining about this matter I was told “The Minister… has determined (the monies)… will be redirected to fund more …housing”. If only some legal service would challenge the Government’s presumed right to control these funds!

Part of the way staff and management committees operate is that they have linked with local resources and individuals who share our vision for services to the disadvantaged. Thus for example a local Solicitor provides free legal advice or local agencies provide practical assistance relying on our assessment of need. To disband our organisation means that these links will be lost. They would take time and energy to re-establish. Why also would we take the risk of becoming involved again? Our trust in a predictable source of funding has been lost.

We are grieving the loss of a service we valued and worked for; as well as for the loss of respect for our contribution over the years. Management committees have major concerns about the staff of the TAAS service. These workers are the core of what happens with our clients. Terminating their employment represents a significant loss to us, future renters and our local communities. Staff members are very worried over the plight of renters beyond the 31st October, while at the same time having to cope with loss of their employment. They are the heroes of a successful service that has operated for over 20 years.

What about a solution if this decision to defund is reversed? I suggest that TAAS be fully funded by an allocation of funds from rental bond interest and this allocation is secured by regulation in the relevant Act. I see no difficulty in continuing oversight by the Department of Housing, provided the integrity and independence of TAAS services are acknowledged. There should also be provision in the funding allocation for a peak body (such as Tenants’ Union). This will allow for better co-ordination of services across Queensland. It would also give more effective representation for our service to Government and other interests.