Author Archives: Lead Organiser

Tenancy advice centre disputes duplication claims

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Reprinted from the ABC newswebsite  (Brock Taylor 29-4-13).  Read it directly here

A Mackay tenancy advice centre says it is still receiving referrals from the Residential Tenancy Authority (RTA), despite Queensland Government claims it is duplicating services.

The Government is cutting funding to 23 local tenancy services around the state and federal funding runs out at the end of June.

Local coordinator Koni Johnson says her staff are still dealing with about 10 clients a day and the centre needs to stay open up until the June deadline.

“Everyone is very concerned because we’re quite committed to social justice and we believe that this decision is wrong and that’s the only way we can describe it,” she said.

“We feel interest earned on tenants’ bonds should be used for tenants and tenants can use this service because of that.”

She says claims by Housing Minister Tim Mander that the service is duplicated by the RTA are wrong.

“People are still coming in to see us and seeking advice and advocacy and if it was something they could seek advice and information about elsewhere, they would already be doing that,” she said.

“We still get approximately 10 people a day who come in and see us requiring advice because we are a specialised service in tenancy information and advice.”

SA signs up for homelessness agreement – will Qld?

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South Australia signs up for homelessness partnership agreement and becomes eligible to for $38 million in federal funding for capital and development projects.  Will Queensland?

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE   28 April 2013 from
Hon Mark Butler Federal Minister for Housing and Homelessness and Hon Tony Piccolo SA Minister for Social Housing

SOUTH AUSTRALIA DELIVERS FUNDS FOR NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS AGREEMENT

South Australia has dedicated $8.62 million to the 2013–14 transitional homelessness agreement, securing $17 million in joint federal-state funding aimed at reducing homelessness across the State.

The announcement follows the commitment made by all states and territories at the March meeting of the COAG Select Council on Housing and Homelessness, where ministers confirmed their ongoing commitment to homelessness services funded under the current National Partnership Agreement.

Federal Minister for Housing and Homelessness Mark Butler said South Australia would also now be able to bid for $38 million in federal funding for capital and development projects that help people move out of homelessness into safe and sustainable housing. Continue reading →

JP (Quals) could compound dispute unease – QLS

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This is a media release reprinted from the Queensland Law Society website. Or read it directly here.

Queensland Law Society is concerned about the decision to trial Justices of the Peace (Qualified) to preside with legally experienced Justices of the Peace over certain QCAT matters.

The proposed change is contained in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Justices of the Peace) Amendment Bill 2013, recently introduced in Queensland Parliament.

President Annette Bradfield said only legally qualified and experienced Justices of the Peace – a proposed new type of JP – and Justices of the Peace (Magistrates) should be involved in determining QCAT matters such as minor civil disputes. Continue reading →

Fears for Qld’s homeless services after funding cuts

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Reprinted from ABC news online.  Read directly from the website here.

Fears for Qld’s homeless services after funding cuts

The Federal Government has renewed its calls for the State Government to continue funding tenant advice and advocacy services in Queensland.

Across the state, 23 services are set to close by the end of June after the Queensland Government decided to cancel their funding agreements.

Federal Housing and Homelessness Minister Mark Butler says state and territory ministers recently agreed tenancy advice was a core function of their governments.

“We’re currently considering our position,” he said.

“It’s obviously critically important that funding continue to other homeless services that are providing frontline services to people who are already homeless. Continue reading →

Tenants’ Union of Qld press release about the loss of Cairns TAAS

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Reprinted from the TUQ’s website. TUQ_LOGO Or read it read it directly from here.  April 26.

Call for Premier to Review Funding Withdrawal as Tenant Service Closes

The Tenants’ Union of Queensland (TUQ) is calling on the Premier to urgently announce whether the government will fund advice and advocacy support services for tenants under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) following today’s announcement that the Cairns Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) is closing.

The Cairns TAAS service is the first to fall after the state government announced last year that it would discontinue funding to the TAAS Program, which supports the work of 23 organisations across the state.

The Federal Minister for Housing, Mr Mark Butler, has previously announced that tenant advice and advocacy services form a core requirement of the in-principle agreement with the states for the continuation of joint funding for homelessness services. Continue reading →

Breaking news – Cairns TAAS closes

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Sadly, today the Cairns TAAS will close it’s doors for the last time.  Their last experienced staff member has had to take an offer of more secure employment.  This is a grave loss for local tenants, the TAAS itself, as well as the entire network of tenant advice services statewide.

The closure is a direct result of the state government’s announcement last year that it would discontinue the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Program, despite funds coming from the ineterest generated on tenants’ bonds.

Thank you Cairns TAAS for all your work supporting local tenants over many years.
More to come.

Tenant Story

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We just heard from one of the tenant advice services – they took a call from the tenancy tribunal (QCAT) yesterday which asked if they could patch a call through from a tenant who needed advice. Whilst QCAT usually just refer on, because the tenant was so worried about their situation and QCAT couldn’t advise them, they called the tenant advisory service.

The tenant had just become a single parent and needed help to keep the roof over their heads and reduce the risk the household may owe a debt in the future. The tenant needed to know what their responsibilities are and how best they can meet them. For the sake of anonymity, we’ll leave the story at that.

Neither QCAT nor the Residential Tenancies Authority could help. If tenant advice services close on June 30, QCAT won’t have anywhere to patch calls like that through to.

Lament of a TAAS worker #1

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Tenants'voiceA suite of emotions engulfed me as I read the state Department of Housing fax last July advising that Minister Flegg would no longer approve funding for the TAASQ program. Anger was certainly prominent but confusion, frustration and melancholy were also present. Similar emotions returned when a second letter arrived last week from the Director-General of the Department of Housing confirming that funding would not continue after the federal government’s emergency funding ends on of 30 June 2013.

Anger emerged because of the callous and non-consultative manner in which these decisions had been made. ‘How dare some know-it-all cabinet ministers make decisions that will have an ongoing and devastating impact on the vulnerable without consultation’, I thought to myself. Is this how executive government operates in the 21st century?  No meaningful research conducted and certainly no consultation convened to test the validity of the decision. Not necessary as our elected masters know best.

Confusion quickly followed. Continue reading →

Does your local MP support tenant services?

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TAAS MapPlease ask your local member if they support the continuation of tenant services for their constituents. – and get them to ask the Premier to review the decision communicated by the Director-General of the Department of Housing not to fund after June 30.  Here’s a draft letter to help you or see below.  Write soon, time is running out!

Just a small percentage of the interest on tenants’ own bond money would fund services across the state.

Draft Letter

(insert date)

(Add your local MP’s address here)
Who is my MP? – call parliament house 1800 197 809
Don’t know your MP’s address click here or call parliament house
Dear (insert name of your MP here)

I am writing to ask if you support the advice from the Department of Housing Director-General, that there will be no future funding for services previously funded under the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) Program.

As my local member I am asking you to voice your support for tenant advice and advocacy services in our community and seek reinstatement of funding for these services. Continue reading →

TUQ responds to the Minister’s comments in Parliament

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Reprinted from the Tenants’ Union of Queensland’s website.  Read it directly from here.

TUQ media release 17 April

TUQ offers visit to correct Mander misunderstandings

The Tenants’ Union of Queensland (TUQ) today expressed deep concern for what appears to be misunderstandings regarding the role of the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) program after Housing and Public Works Minister Tim Mander’s comments in parliament on Tuesday.

‘In the face of cutting the entire program of tenant advice and advocacy in the state, we are concerned that the Minister does not have the correct information about our services.  As such we would like to invite him to tour the TUQ and other tenancy advice services with us’.

The TUQ outlined several areas of concern regarding the Minister’s comments.

‘Firstly, there is no other program which provides tenant advice and advocacy, especially not the Residential Tenancies Authority’, said Ms Carr.  ‘The RTA has never helped a tenant write a letter, prepare their tribunal application, never appeared in the tribunal on behalf of a tenant.  And nor should they as an impartial body’.

‘If the Minister was thinking that any organisation can pick up the role of tenancy advice as an adjunct that would be concerning’, said Ms Carr. Continue reading →

Minister Mander’s comments misconceived

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Yesterday the Minister for Housing and Public Works responded to a question in Parliament about the effect of the de-funding of the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) program.

In the face of cutting funding to all 23 services statewide, TAAS workers across the state have expressed concern and bitter disappointment over the Minister’s misconceptions about the Program and work of TAAS, and the undervaluing of the skill level required to provide these services.  You can read the Hansard record here and we will also add it to the end of the post.

Here are several reasons why what the Minister said is, at best, misconceived:

  •  Providing tenancy advice is about empowering tenants. We try to get tenants to self-advocate by giving them the advice, skills and tools to run their own matter.  There is rarely enough resources to meet demand.  This work is often done by telephone which helps services to meet the needs of as many clients as possible.  The level of support provided to tenants is escalated if there is a need – e.g. they may have a disability, have literacy issues, English as a second language, it may be a complex matter, the client may be in an emotional state –  and the worker might prepare documents, make representations on their behalf or more formally represent them.   Much of this work requires some face to face interaction or at least documents to be reviewed.  Because a lot of the work is on the phone does not mean that it is not different from the RTA’s information provision.
  • ‘we see that 60 per cent of the core service outcomes were reported as unresolved’ –  this refers to data the services are required to collect.  What it means is that in 60% of cases when giving advice to tenants the services don’t know what the outcome of the matter is.  It simply means that at the time of giving the advice – how to seek compensation from the lessor for example, the worker doesn’t know the outcome regarding the claim.
  •  The work requires a high level of training and expertise and this expertise accumulates over time.  To say that there are lots of services which could fill the void truly underestimates what’s required to deliver accurate up to date and quality advice. Continue reading →