On his last day, Rocky TAAS worker Craig sent us this potted history as he shut the doors for the last time. 

In December 1988 the Queensland Housing Commission offered to make available to Community Organisations participating in Mortgage and Rent Relief schemes a one-off grant to employ a Housing Referral Worker.

The expected duties of the Worker were:

• To assist people locate suitable accommodation in the private rental market;
• To assist people obtain Commission bond guarantees, rent relief and long term accommodation;
• To assist with tenancy law advice;
• To assist those in crisis with practical support.

Our first Housing Referral Worker was Ron Leeks with the then auspicing organisation of Rockhampton Family Emergency Accommodation Programme (FEAP).

In July 1991 the Housing Referral Worker Programme became the Housing Resource Worker Programme with the newly formed Department of Housing and Local Government. When Ron moved on to greener pastures he was replaced with Keith Mansfield and around 1996-97 the programme auspice was transferred to CQ Consumers Association at the request of the SAAP service, FEAP.

I joined in 1998 as Keith’s relief worker and did my first block of training in tenancy law at the Tenants Union of Queensland offices in Teneriffe, and what trendy offices they were 

Over the years I’ve gone from relief work to part time work to full time, guess I always was a sucker for punishment. It is with great sadness that I have to oversee the closure of a service that has worked tirelessly for almost 25 years, I’ve had to bin and shred documents almost as old as I am.

From all the past workers who have championed the cause of a fair go for tenants in Central Queensland; Ron Leeks, Keith Mansfield, Margaret Whitton, Craig Jackson, Maureen Neal, Leonie Lane, Lyn & Alex Gartlan, Debbie Willebrand and Katelyn Clements; we say…

Fare thee well and good fortune smile upon your future endeavours, the axe is falling and we will cease to be in just over two hours at 12:30 pm local time.

(Editor’s note:  the service had to close a month early because Craig found a new job.  After 14 years he was made redundant but has no access or right to a redundancy payout.  It is a far cry from the Premier’s comments last year the all public service redundancies were voluntary and everyone got big payout.  Wrong on both counts in this case) 

What a great offer by the Commonwealth government – thank you.  Please Premier Newman, support tenants in our state and continue funding for the TAAS program.

A great response from one of our supporters to the Premier’s facebook 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 →

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 →

International Union of Tenants

Mr Magnus Hammar, Secretary-General of the International Union of Tenants based in Sweden, posted this comment on the Save Tenant Services facebook page recently.   Mr Hammar was  a keynote speaker at the National Housing Conference held in Brisbane last November.

Magnus Hammar:  Tenant services, incl. TUQ and all TAAS offices, are essential for all tenants in Queensland as the level of tenant’s security is so low in Queensland, and in other Australian states, compared with most other developed countries. This in spite of the fact that 1/3 of all Australians rent their accommodation. TUQ and TAAS contribute to a more level and fair playing field in a country where homeownership is favourised. Save tenant services!

(insert date)

I am writing to ask if you support the decision made by the state government last year to withdraw funding for all independent tenant advice services in Queensland.

As my local member I am asking you to voice support for these services in our community and seek reinstatement of funding for them.

I also ask you to approach Premier Campbell Newman on my behalf and request he consider re-funding these services before December when their emergency funding from the Commonwealth runs out.

Until last year, just a small percent of the interest generated on tenants’ own bonds – not taxpayer dollars – provided fundng for local, independent services in 23 locations statewide, employing highly trained workers.  It’s only fair that these services are reinstated for tenants. 

Without your successful intervention tenant advice services will close on December 31 and tenants will have nowhere to go for independent advice and tenancy support.  The system will not work and tenants will be disadvantaged within it.

For many this wil lead to rental stress and potential homelessness.

I look forward to your written response to these urgent concerns for local tenants.

Yours sincerely

(Add your name address here)

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 →

A 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 21^st 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 →