Word has just come down that Queensland has signed off on the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness. We have no details yet, but a core requirement under this agreement was the funding of tenant advisory services. We’ll update you as we get more information.
Author Archives: Lead Organiser
Mackay makes the news
Tenancy advice play the ultimate waiting game
Reprinted from the Daily Mercury 27th May 2013. Read from website here.
Mackay’s Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Service’s co-ordinator Koni Johnson is worried their service will have to close. Tony Martin
KONI Johnson is playing the ultimate waiting game as her future looms in the hands of the State Government.
Ms Johnson is Mackay’s Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Service’s co-ordinator and doesn’t know if she’ll have a job after the end of next month.
Last year the State Government pulled the plug on funding for more than 20 tenancy advice services. The Federal Government stepped in with funding, which allowed the services to operate until the end of June.
Last week it announced it would provide a further $2.5 million to keep the services open for another six months, but it is unclear if the State Government will accept this funding.
If not, Ms Johnson said she and her other two staff members would be out of work, leaving Mackay’s tenants without support.
“We’re in limbo land; it’s a rollercoaster ride that is full of ups and downs,” she said. Continue reading
A supporter’s response to the Premier’s facbook team
A great response from one of our supporters to the Premier’s facebook team.
Susie: Mr Newman, I am sorry but do you even know what it is like to be a tenant? I have been through the process. Most landlords are represented by the real estate agent, who has training in that field and has often been to QCAT numerous times before to represent their Property owners. A tenant is completely on their own. They always have to represent themselves. How is it also fair that the interest from Tenants’ Bonds funds the RTA that is there for both lessors and tenants alike? Regardless of what you CAN legally do with the money, that money exists only because tenants are made to pay a Bond on the house they stay in, even if the place is in disrepair when they move in. For many it is “live in a tip or on the streets”. What about bringing in a Landlord Bond to cover repairs and maintenance during the tenancy that tenants can access through QCAT? Continue reading
‘MPs are capable of accessing, reading and explaining the legislation to tenants’ – Premier’s FB team
This is a response from the Premier’s Team last Friday to questions about TAAS. We’re not sure if they realise that many electorate officers call TAAS for help.
Hi Susie – As someone who has worked in an electorate office, I can assure you that staff and MPs are capable of accessing, reading and explaining the legislation to tenants.
This is what electorate officers do, on a daily basis, covering the whole spectrum of issues.
They are also happy to provide free photocopies to assist tenants and constituents. In fact, many offices are happy to print out hundreds of community newsletters for free.
As we all know, the RTA’s website has directories filled with detailed fact sheets and forms and explanations that can help an electorate officer explain to a constituent their rights. The electorate office staff would be happy to print out these fact sheets. (In fact the one I worked in had a number of factsheets printed out ready to go). Of course, the RTA does provide free concilliation services. The RTA’s Dispute Resolution Service can be conducted through separate telephone calls, a teleconference or by face to face conference.
It’s worth noting that the RTA successfully resolves 70% of all disputes through concilliation. Of course, unresolved matters can then be held by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. QCAT is designed to allow Queenslanders to represent themselves – in fact, all parties involved in a matter before QCAT must represent themselves. As you acknowledge, tenants have to represent themselves at QCAT – so do landlords. Continue reading
Response to the member for Morayfield
Member for Morayfield, Mr Darren Grimwade, sent this response to constituent who sent it to us on facebook. We cannot let this pass without comment because many things said are incorrect (see our responses below). To be fair, it’s not much different to what other members of the government have been saying, but with a TAAS in his electorate, we thought Mr Grimwade might had a better understanding. This is what he said:
….Hi Julie, The government last year made the decision to redirect funding from TAASQ to bricks and mortar housing solutions, this decision stands. Services provided by TAASQ were an unnecessary duplication of services already provided by the RTA, various Queensland NGOs and more than 30 community legal centres around Queensland. Priority must be given to housing the 23 000 households on the social housing waiting list, which includes people with a disability, the elderly and single parents with children. Continue reading
Tenant Story #3
What you can do to help Save Tenant Services (click here) and why you should try! This story sent from a TAAS worker.
A disabled woman on crutches just came into our office. She’s turned up a few times before, and no matter that we always remin…d her, the idea of making an appointment doesn’t seem to stick. Since she’s travelled over half an hour on public transport and then walked (on her crutches) from the train station to our service, we don’t turn her away. Continue reading
A potted history of tenant advice (de) funding since last July!
A quick history:
* The Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service Program (TAAS) was discontinued last October by the State government. Funding to all 23 community based services was withdrawn despite the money being generated from the interest on tenants bond money, rather than tax payer dollars.|
* The Commonwealth government provided emergency funding for TAAS services across Queensland from November 1 to June 30 this year.
* The Commonwealth have insisted on the State funding tenant advice and advocacy services as a part of the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness which will provide funding for homelessness services.
* The State has not announced what it will do. However, after many months of stating that TAAS services are valuable but they can’t afford them, it has started to say that tenants’ needs can be covered by the statutory body, the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA), and other community services such as community legal services.
* The RTA has not and cannot provide the same services as tenant advice services namely:
- See tenants face to face
- Provide assistance with letters and forms
- Make representations to the lessor
- Provide advice and assistance with preparing for tribunal hearings.
- The standard RTA call is about 5 minutes, much less than the TAAS advice work.
* Community legal centres have made strong statements that they cannot pick up the load
* The Commonwealth have now offered the State another $2.5 million to fund tenant services for 6 months as long as the State funds them after that
* The State is indicating that nothing has changed and they do not want to fund tenant services –http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/tenant-service-in-deep-water-despite-life-raft-20130522-2k13o.html
Queensland Premier’s contact details
Premier Newman
Phone: 07 3224 4500
Fax: 07 3221 1809
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Twitter: @theqldpremier
Draft letter – please support the funding offer and Qld tenants
Dear Local Member / Premier
I’m writing to ask if you to support the continuation of Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) in your community.
On May 23 the Commonwealth Government made an offer to the Queensland Government for an additional 6 months’ worth of funding (or $2.5 million) for TAAS services in the state. In return the state government needs to negotiate a long term option for TAAS funding. If accepted, the Queensland government will have saved 14 months’ worth of funding when they need to reapply a small percentage of tenant bond interest to fund these services.
Without the support of the State government, these community-based services will close after June this year. Regional services across the state will be lost and tenants everywhere will no longer have access to specialist services.
While Housing Minister, Tim Mander, has stated that the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) and Community Legal Centres (CLCs) can pick up the “slack” with the closure of the TAAS, this is simply not true. The RTA is an impartial government authority located in the Brisbane CBD. It neither represents tenants nor advocates on their behalf. CLCs already have a large unmet demand and are not in a position to provide advice to an additional 500,000 renting households statewide.
Please let me know what your position is on this matter at your earliest possible convenience. I also ask that you raise this important matter with the Premier to seek his support.
Yours sincerely
Federal Government demands Qld guarantees tenancy advice funding – ABC online
By Elise Worthington (reprinted from ABC News online)
Mr Butler says he will have to reassess other funding deals if the Queensland Government will not guarantee its future. (ABC News – file image)
Federal Housing Minister Mark Butler is threatening to withhold funding from the state as part of a dispute over the Queensland Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (QTAAS).
Last year, the Queensland Government scrapped funding, forcing the Commonwealth to step in to keep the service running until the end of June.
Mr Butler says he will provide a further $2.5 million to keep QTAAS running for six months, if the State Government agrees to a long-term solution.
He says he wrote to Queensland Premier Campbell Newman earlier this week but is yet to get a response.
Mr Butler says he will have to reassess other funding deals if the Queensland Government will not guarantee its future.
“I’ve also made it clear to the Newman Government though that we reserve the right – if they don’t do this – not only to withhold the $2.5 million, but to review other arrangements we have with the Newman Government in the housing area, to ensure that really they look at this again with some common sense,” he said. Continue reading
Tenant service in deep water despite ‘life raft’ – Brisbane Times
Read today’s Brisbane Times article here.
Breaking News! Commonwealth offers the State TAAS funding resolution
Will your local member support this – and the continuation of TAAS in youir community? Why not ask them!
Joint Press Release May 23
THE HON WAYNE SWAN MP Deputy Prime Minster Treasurer
THE HON MARK BUTLER MP Minister for Housing and Homelessness
NEWMAN GOVERNMENT MUST FUND CRITICAL TENANT SERVICES
The Gillard Government today announced a $2.5 million life-raft to the Queensland Government to continue critical advice and advocacy services to vulnerable tenants for another six months.
Treasurer Wayne Swan said the Government funding offer, if accepted by Premier Newman, would allow current services to continue under the Queensland Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (QTAAS).
“I would hope Mr Newman takes this opportunity to right a wrong – sit down with the Queensland Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service in good faith negotiations on a long term agreement,” Mr Swan said.
“These services are recognised as a core state and territory responsibility — every other jurisdiction in Australia funds tenant advice and advocacy services — and last month all states and territories agreed in principle to continue providing these services.” Continue reading
State gov’t to continue funding for Home Assist Secure
Congratulations Home Assist Secure, very good news! The following is yesterday’s press release from State Housing Minister Mander’s office. The state will continue to fund Home Assist Secure, a program that helps people remain in their private homes – owner occupied or private rental (see second last paragraph) and off the social housing wait list. Sounds familiar to us because TAAS services assist private renters stay more safely and securely housed, reducing social housing demand. Only difference is that TAAS is self funded by a small percentage of consumers’ bond interest! Keep up the good work Home Assist Secure!
Home Assist Secure program to continue – Press Release
Minister for Housing & Public Works The Hon Tim Mander
Housing and Public Works Minister Tim Mander has announced the Home Assist Secure program will continue to be funded throughout 2013–14.
The program provides funding to improve the lifestyle of elderly and disabled residents living in privately-owned accommodation.
Mr Mander said almost $18 million will be allocated to service providers in 41 locations around Queensland. Continue reading
Tenants going to the Tenancy Tribunal today on Triple J’s Hack
Listen in at 5.30pm today to hear about tenants across the country using the tenancy tribunal. On ABC Triple J’s Hack program at 5.30pm.
Help Save Tenant Services (quickly!)
Your help needed urgently. Here’s some things you can do https://savetenantservices.net.au/how-can-i-help/what-you-can-do-to-help-in-2013/