In the late 1980s the then New South Wales government cut funding to tenant advice service in that state. Inevitably the services were refunded some time later but not without the loss of experienced workers and corporate knowledge. Let’s not repeat that history in Queensland. Robert Mowbray of the Older Person’s Tenants Services NSW fills us in. 
There is light at the end of the tunnel
Tenants’ advice and advocacy services in New South Wales go back to 1910 when the NSW Rent Payers Association operated an advisory service for inner Sydney tenants. They were first fully funded across New South Wales from 1 January 1986 after successful lobbying by community organisations coordinated by the Tenants Union of NSW.
However, between 1989 and 1994 they were defunded1, despite these being the first five years of reform legislation in New South Wales. These were the dark years.
In an attempt to fill the vacuum left by defunding and to keep the issue of tenants’ services alive, the Uniting Church’s then Board for Social Responsibility funded a full-time service in Western Sydney and three local government councils provided part-time services. The Tenants’ Union continued to operate a ‘Tenants’ Hotline’ staffed by volunteers and workers attached to community organisations. Redfern Legal Centre gave some priority to problems encountered by tenants. Such services only reached a small number of tenants, but nevertheless targeted the most vulnerable … and they were visible.
Funding was restored by a conservative government in 1994. How was this turn-around achieved?
The Tenants’ Union pursued a relentless campaign strategy that involved going to every public forum and consultation and saying ‘we want tenants’ services refunded’ and writing submissions to every government enquiry (and there were some key ones) saying ‘we want tenants’ services refunded’. It built support across the community sector and with church and charitable groups … and some shock jocks on the radio. It maintained a liaison with sympathetic players in government departments. (And these were the days before twitter and Facebook!)
The Tenants’ Union seized the moment in late 1993 when a new coalition Minister for Housing came on board. The new Minister was willing to listen to ideas from the community sector and, as a consequence, tenants’ services were refunded. They have continued to operate with bi-partisan support to the present time.
Tenants services are necessary for the successful operation of the rental system. Real estate agents, the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal in New South Wales, MPs, Housing bureaucrats and tenants all agree. They are cost effective in reducing disputes and keeping vulnerable tenants in tenancies. It is inevitable that this will be realised in Queensland like it was in New South Wales in 1994. Let’s continue to fund tenants services in Queensland.
1 For an account of the defunding of services, see Weir, M. ‘Courage and intrigue in Sydney’, Australian Society Vol 8 No 3, pp. 33-37
2 See Mortimer, Paul, ‘Unfinished business: The story of the Tenants’ Union of NSW 1976-1996’, Tenants Union of NSW, 1996, pp. 44-60
There were some complex political negotiations surrounding the re-funding, as I recall – as a very young volunteer tenants worker I remember being in awe of those tenancy advocates (such as Robert) who had remained active and passionate and were able to seize upon political opportunities when they arose. But all the energy that had to go into getting the funding back could have saved thousands of tenancies and monitored the effect of the new residential tenancies act as it came into play. Best result is to apply that political pressure NOW – get the churches involved, use the community legal centre economic benefit report to show that individual advocacy saves money in the long run. Tenants services in particular ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO EARLY INTERVENTION IN HOMELESSNESS. There are quite a few National Partnership in Homelessness Projects around the country which involve tenancy services, the data or evaluation of these projects will show the effectiveness of providing support to tenants/other occupants to resist or delay eviction.