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/
A TAAS worker’s impassioned plea
The following post got a pretty big response on our facebook page so we thought we’d share it here. For those of you who haven’t seen the standard response supporters are getting from the Premier’s facebook team, we’ll post that at the bottom.
Impassioned and heartfelt. A TAAS worker’s response to what the Premier’s Facebook team states as reasons for TAAS de-funding.
Christine: I cant describe to you how wrong you are. I am a taas worker and one third of my clients are at risk of homelessness, a service t support these people is NOT what the RTA does. Your decision to take tenants money away from tenancy support services is very wrong and will gravely impact the homelessness situation and unfairly burden tenants with debts that are grossly fraudulent. Today i spoke to tenants who;
- have lost their jobs are single parents and behind on their rent and are three weeks away from homelessness;
- an elderley gentleman who has had no stove or laundry for two years, rats,mould and no receipts for rent or bond lodged and constantly told to pay more money; Continue reading
Help will be harder to get for CQ renters come July
Reprinted. Read directly from The Bulletin here. (April 12)
Help will be harder to get for CQ renters come July
Dan McIntyre, chairman of CQ consumers association incorporated at the Rockhampton Tenancy Board which will close soon. Photo Sharyn O’Neill / The Morning Bulletin Sharyn O’Neill
HELP for Rocky’s battlers could get harder if funding of their rental advocacy group is stopped in June.
“The Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Service got short-term relief money from the Federal Government after the Queensland Government pulled the funding last year,” CQ Consumers’ Association chairman Dan McIntyre said.
“The federal funding kept the service going but that expires on June 30.”
An average of 180 people a month sought help from the tenancy service last year, most of them from the Rockhampton Regional Council area, and a small number from the Central Highlands and Central West areas. Continue reading
NPA on homelessness – 5 States & Territories sign but Queensland not yet!
STATES AND ACT ADD THEIR SIGNATURES TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS AGREEMENT
THE HON MARK BUTLER MP
Minister for Housing and Homelessness Press Release 14 May 2013
Five of the states and territories have now signed on to the Federal Government’s National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness for 2013/14 guaranteeing federal funds will flow to their states.
Mr Butler said the Commonwealth had put up to $159 million on the table in March on the condition that states matched funding.
“New South Wale, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT have all signed on to the agreement, which also makes them eligible to bid for further funding under the Development Fund as part of a competitive process,” Mr Butler said.
“Applications for the Development Fund close today, so I urge remaining state governments to finance their share of this agreement to guarantee their state also has access to the fund.”
“This funding will ensure services which help give people a hand up every day have the certainty they need to continue delivering critical support.”
Mr Butler said achieving real results in reducing homelessness was only possible through joint responsibility and collaborative action.
“The transitional agreement provides funding to the sector over the next 12 months, while the Australian and state and territory governments negotiate a longer-term response to homelessness.”
“It’s now time for Queensland, WA and the Northern Territory to provide surety to homelessness service providers and their clients by committing their share of funds and signing the agreement as soon as possible.”
The National Partnership Agreement is part of the Federal Government’s $26 billion investment in housing and homelessness services, which aims to halve the rate of homelessness by 2020.
ABC’s 7.30 Qld highlights tenant concerns for service loss
Take a look at these issues on ABC’s 7.30 Queensland here.
ABC’s 7.30 Qld reports on tenants’ loss of services
Tenant advisory funding issues aired on ABC’s 7.30 Queensland! Listen here to the Tenants’ Union of Queensland, their clients, the peak body for Community Legal Centres as well as the Queensland Minister for Housing talking about TAAS de-funding. We think the whistle was blown on the Minister!
Watch out for 7.30 Queensland tonight
………rumour has it there might be something on 7.30 Queensland tonight about TAAS.
Petition to Save Tenant Services
Sign the new petition to help Save Tenant Services at Change.org by clicking here