In an interview about funding cuts to the Logan service, Housing Minister Flegg has acknowledged the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) will increase in size as a result of his decision to discontinue funding to the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service program (TAAS).

The RTA is a centralised government agency, unlike the 23 community based, regional and urban advice services which will close as a result of the Minister’s decision.  Such a decision seems contrary to the government’s own stated aim of retaining front line services and bolstering the regions.

The withdrawal of funds to the TAAS program will leave the 500,000 Queensland households who rent without a specialist, tenant focused service.

The decision is extraordinary because much of the work of these services is assisting renters in the private rental market to retain their housing.   This work reduces the incidents of homelessness and subsequently the demand for social housing. The fact that the lion’s share of the program funding is money generated on tenants’ bonds is another aspect of the decision which makes it unreasonable and unfair.