An estimated 10,000 people attended the Stop the Cuts rally in the Brisbane CBD on September 12. This included lots of supporters of tenant advice services….
In the park before the march
More photos below….
Queensland Shelter issued a press release about today’s state budget. Click here to read.
500,000 Queensland renting households are the losers in today’s state budget The government failed to reinstated the virtually self funded tenant advice services recently cut, and no replacement program was announced.
At the same time, the government reintroduced stamp duty concessions for repeat home purchasers, acknowledging they will lose $1B over four years in lost revenue. These concessions are additional to those already in place for first home purchasers.
The first home owner’s grant has been revised and increased, and will provide a $15,000 grant to those who buy off the plan or construct a house or apartment, costing the government $75M by 2013/4 and up to $95M in 2015/16.
The Queensland Treasurer said that Queensland is the best state to buy your own home in. But it will probably be the worst place to rent in for tenants who will no longer have access to free tenancy advice, which cost a mere $5M per year and are funded mainly from interest generated on tenant’s own bond interest.
The budget papers also announced a review of tenancy laws – no details provided – and social housing entitlements.
Social housing reforms up for review are under occupancy; the introduction of fixed term tenancies for all social housing tenants; stock transfers (and possibly staff) to the community housing sector and a review of rent policy.
Queensland residential renters are clearly the losers in the state budget and it is hard not to be cynical about the motivations of removing tenant advocates across the state at the same time as reviewing these issues.
What do you think? Will Queensland renters get anything in tomorrow’s budget? Repeat home purchasers will have additional stamp duty concessions of around $7,000 on an average priced home reinstated, first home buyers of newly build properties will get a $15,000 grant.
Will tenants get their self funded Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services back? What are your thoughts?
This piece is written by Peter Young who is a lecturer in the School of Human Services and Social Work at Griffith University. He is a former director of policy with the Queensland Department of Housing.
Queensland Housing workers rallied in Brisbane this week to protest against cuts to housing services announced in July by the Housing Minister, Dr Bruce Flegg.
The Newman Government’s decision to de‐fund the Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services, and to sell off three State owned caravan parks, is akin to dismantling and selling off a fence at the top of a cliff to pay for a portion of a new ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. The shortage of public housing in Queensland matters, but finding relatively small savings through de‐funding preventative housing programs is a self‐defeating approach. Continue reading
This ad is being run in Brisbane cinemas now to alert more people to the issue.
Click here to read the article and leave your comment at the end.
Housing Minister Bruce Flegg and Premier Campbell Newman continue to cut spending on public housing. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: The Courier-Mail
On September 6, the Federal Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Brendan O’Connor, opened the National Housing Conference in Melbourne. In his opening address he commented that funding cuts to the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services in Queensland was not helping to reduce homelessness. See the post here from the Australian newspaper. Continue reading
In this article journalist Sharona Coutts from the Global Mail reviews cuts made by the Newman government. Ten issues are canvassed including those made to the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service program. Coordinator of the Tenants’ Union of Queensland, Penny Carr, is interviewed. Click here to read the article.
Wynnum renters, including those in caravan parks, fear for the loss of their local tenant advice service. (Wynnum Herald 5-9-12)
Click here to read the article on page 4.
Hot of the press, a Tenants’ Union client expresses her alarm a the discontinuation of funding for tenant advice services. Reprinted from the Quest’s Westside News.
Is it really a government priority to redirect all monies available into the expansion of social housing?
‘Putting a roof over people’s heads’, expanding social housing and reducing the 30,000 household waitlist is the rationale expressed by the Minister for Housing when he cut funding to all 23 Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services across the state and reallocated $5M of tenant bond interest money.
However, has this government applied this priority across portfolios?
A supporter has asked for her conversation with the Housing Minister’s office about tenant advice funding to be posted here. The emails have been cut and pasted to make them show in conversational rather than emailed order. Continue reading
