The Tenants’ Union of Queensland’s Exploring the Private Rental Market forum is on tomorrow afternoon in Brisbane. The State Housing Minister, Bruce Flegg, will open the fringe festival event at 1pm at the South Brisbane Institute of Technology.
Also at the event, Mr Magnus Hammar from the International Union of Tenants in Sweden will officially launch a report on evictions by the Tenants’ Union of Queensland.
Governments around Australia are moving towards the national (rather than state/territory based) regulation of community housing providers. The system is supposed to be in place by July 2013 and the second round of consultations is happening over the next few weeks. The Queensland government are looking at potentially large stock transfers from public to community housing, emphasising the importance of these consultations. It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re interested, click here to find out where the consultations are.
International Union of Tenants
Mr Magnus Hammar, Secretary General arrives today from Sweden. Whilst in Brisbane, Mr Hammar will speak at a forum organised by the Tenants’ Union of Queensland, ‘Exploring the Private Rental Market’ on October 30.Later in the week he delivers a keynote address to the National Housing Conference in Brisbane. Click here to go the National Housing Conference website.
October 31 = withdrawal of funding by the state Minister for Housing (Minister Flegg) for the entire 23 organisations funded by the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service program (even though the funds come mainly from tenant bond interest).
October 31 = the state Minister for Housing (Minister Flegg) opens the National Housing Conference at 8.30am at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
October 31 = the last day that Residential Tenancies Authority tenancy forms will be available at Australia Post Offices in Queensland.
October 31 = the last day tenants will be able to lodge or claim a residential tenancy bond at Australia Post Offices in Queensland.
You’ll remember we posted before about the Federal FaHCSIA bureaucrats working hard on the funding contracts for tenant advice service and then there was an announcement that the state would administer the funds. That means the same bureaucrats will be both wrapping up one contract to withdraw state funds, whilst signing a new contract for virtually the same services with the Commonwealth funding.
It was hoped the new contracts would be out by now, given the state funding withdrawal date of October 31 but there seems to have been a delay. Services do not yet know when agreements will come out or how much their funding will be. It is a nervous time for tenant advice services and workers.
We know that we’ve been a little quiet lately but the focus has been around the funding
arrangements following on from the Commonwealth announcement of emergency funding until June 2013. Whilst the Commonwealth funding is a welcome relief, there is still a long way to go to regain funding beyond June next year.
Focus on this next step will start soon and we’re asking for your ideas. What do you think we need to do, what should the next stage of the campaign focus on and how can we work together to regain long term funding for tenant advisory services in Queensland?
The Tenants’ Union of Queensland is holding a fringe event on October 31, prior to the National Housing Conference in Brisbane. This is the last day of state based funding for tenant advice servcies.
Tenant advice services across the state just received information that the State government will now administer the emergency funding from the Commonweatlh. On one hand the state will be wrapping up funding contracts with services whilst on the other signing up new agreements relying on the Commonwealth money.
We’ll keep you updated.
Community radio station 3CR covered the issues surrounding the tenant advice services – the program discontinuation by the state government and the intervention by the Federal government to provide emergency funding – on Stick Together 14-10-12.
Click here to listen to an interview with the Tenants’ Union of Queensland’s Coordinator. It starts just before the timer gets to half way.
The following was reported in the Quest Brisbane East newspaper on October 17.
Residents of the Monte Carlo Caravan Park in Brisbane’s Cannon Hill are still awaiting their fate. Picture: Liam Kidston Source: The Courier-Mail
Monte Carlo Caravan Park resident Tony Krajniw takes Queensland Government to supreme court over park sale
THE controversial proposed sale of the Monte Carlo Caravan Park has hit the Supreme Court of Queensland.
Tony Krajniw, who has lived at the Cannon Hill park for 22 years, has asked for a statement of reason justifying the sale, with the matter due to reappear in front of the courts on November 6.
Mr Krajniw said he would not take the actions lying down after receiving notification from the Government in early August of its intention to sell the site.
“Everyone is sitting back saying that it won’t happen, but I am taking action,” he said.
“I learnt the law six years ago as a greens activist and I am representing myself and doing it on my own without anyone from the caravan park.”
Monte Carlo Residents’ Voice spokesman Michael Edridge, whose group is in discussion with the Government over staying at the site, said Mr Krajniw was not backed by the greater community of the caravan park.
“We spoke to Tony when he said he was going to launch the application and asked him not to but he went forward,” Mr Edridge said. “We have been assured by the Government that any actions by Tony will not impact our discussions.”
Bulimba MP Aaron Dillaway said it was not appropriate to comment on the matter because it was before the court.
October 31 is the last day the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) program is funded at a state level following the Queensland Housing Minister Bruce Flegg’s decision to discontinue the program and reallocate the funds. On that very same day, the National Housing Conference opens at the Brisbane Convention Centre at 8.30am with a speech by Minister Flegg. A sad irony to say the least.
The Commonwealth government will commence their emergency funding of the TAAS program the next day, preventing Queensland from becoming the only state or territory without any tenant advice services. On November 2, the Federal Housing Minister, Brendan O’Connor (whose department is providing the emergency funding), addresses the National Housing Conference at 9am.
The defunding of the TAASs by the state government and attempted removal of these important support services for private rental market and social housing tenants casts a shadow over the Conference (particularly as these services were virtually self-funded by tenants through the interest generated on their bonds). Tenants are just not treated equitably. Three weeks before announcing the defunding of TAAS, the Queensland government reintroduced stamp duty concessions for repeat home purchasers, costing the government $250M annually in lost revenue. Reducing these concessions by just 2.5% would cover the entire cost of the TAAS program.
The Secretary General of the International Union of Tenants (IUT) is a keynote speaker at the National Housing conference . The IUT considers Australian tenancy laws weak when compared to other developed countries. Had it not been for the actions of the Federal government, Queensland tenants’ relatively weak rights would have been further compromised without access to any advice to ensure they are respected.
October 31 – November 2 will be strange days indeed. If you’re interested in the National Housing Conference program you can see it here.
Yesterday, the Queensland parliament held the state budget estimate committee hearing into the housing portfolio. The Minister for Housing, Hon Bruce, appeared. To read the transcrip, click here and go to page 26.
As we mentioned the other day, October 18 is the state budget estimate hearings for
From Qld parliament website
the Housing portfolio. That means the Minister for Housing will face questions from the opposition parties about the budget allocations in an open hearing process. We’re keen to hear if he gets any questions about the tenant advice service cuts and his decision to re allocate these monies even though they come from tenants own bond interest.
In fifteen days, the state government withdraws all funding from tenant advice services in the state even though they’re funded mainly from the interest generated on tenants’ bonds. Luckily the Federal government has stepped in to provide emergency funding until the end of June next year. The Federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs have been working very hard to get funding sorted out before the state withdraws its money on October 31. The state government’s withdrawal of funding like imposing an additional tax on tenants. We still have an argument to win to get back tenant bond interest for tenant services, but thanks to the Feds at least we’re hear to run it!
The Westender reported on the Federal government emergency funding, which means the local tenant advice service can remain open and available to tenants in the area for the next eight months. Let’s hope we can turn around the decision by the state government by then and keep all the 23 Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services, including the Tenants’ Union of Queensland, funded passed June 2013.
Read the article from the Westender here.