Tag Archives: savetaas

Lament of a TAAS worker #1

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Tenants'voiceA 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 21st 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 →

Does your local MP support tenant services?

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TAAS MapPlease ask your local member if they support the continuation of tenant services for their constituents. – and get them to ask the Premier to review the decision communicated by the Director-General of the Department of Housing not to fund after June 30.  Here’s a draft letter to help you or see below.  Write soon, time is running out!

Just a small percentage of the interest on tenants’ own bond money would fund services across the state.

Draft Letter

(insert date)

(Add your local MP’s address here)
Who is my MP? – call parliament house 1800 197 809
Don’t know your MP’s address click here or call parliament house
Dear (insert name of your MP here)

I am writing to ask if you support the advice from the Department of Housing Director-General, that there will be no future funding for services previously funded under the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) Program.

As my local member I am asking you to voice your support for tenant advice and advocacy services in our community and seek reinstatement of funding for these services. Continue reading →

TUQ responds to the Minister’s comments in Parliament

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Reprinted from the Tenants’ Union of Queensland’s website.  Read it directly from here.

TUQ media release 17 April

TUQ offers visit to correct Mander misunderstandings

The Tenants’ Union of Queensland (TUQ) today expressed deep concern for what appears to be misunderstandings regarding the role of the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) program after Housing and Public Works Minister Tim Mander’s comments in parliament on Tuesday.

‘In the face of cutting the entire program of tenant advice and advocacy in the state, we are concerned that the Minister does not have the correct information about our services.  As such we would like to invite him to tour the TUQ and other tenancy advice services with us’.

The TUQ outlined several areas of concern regarding the Minister’s comments.

‘Firstly, there is no other program which provides tenant advice and advocacy, especially not the Residential Tenancies Authority’, said Ms Carr.  ‘The RTA has never helped a tenant write a letter, prepare their tribunal application, never appeared in the tribunal on behalf of a tenant.  And nor should they as an impartial body’.

‘If the Minister was thinking that any organisation can pick up the role of tenancy advice as an adjunct that would be concerning’, said Ms Carr. Continue reading →

Minister Mander’s comments misconceived

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Yesterday the Minister for Housing and Public Works responded to a question in Parliament about the effect of the de-funding of the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) program.

In the face of cutting funding to all 23 services statewide, TAAS workers across the state have expressed concern and bitter disappointment over the Minister’s misconceptions about the Program and work of TAAS, and the undervaluing of the skill level required to provide these services.  You can read the Hansard record here and we will also add it to the end of the post.

Here are several reasons why what the Minister said is, at best, misconceived:

  •  Providing tenancy advice is about empowering tenants. We try to get tenants to self-advocate by giving them the advice, skills and tools to run their own matter.  There is rarely enough resources to meet demand.  This work is often done by telephone which helps services to meet the needs of as many clients as possible.  The level of support provided to tenants is escalated if there is a need – e.g. they may have a disability, have literacy issues, English as a second language, it may be a complex matter, the client may be in an emotional state –  and the worker might prepare documents, make representations on their behalf or more formally represent them.   Much of this work requires some face to face interaction or at least documents to be reviewed.  Because a lot of the work is on the phone does not mean that it is not different from the RTA’s information provision.
  • ‘we see that 60 per cent of the core service outcomes were reported as unresolved’ –  this refers to data the services are required to collect.  What it means is that in 60% of cases when giving advice to tenants the services don’t know what the outcome of the matter is.  It simply means that at the time of giving the advice – how to seek compensation from the lessor for example, the worker doesn’t know the outcome regarding the claim.
  •  The work requires a high level of training and expertise and this expertise accumulates over time.  To say that there are lots of services which could fill the void truly underestimates what’s required to deliver accurate up to date and quality advice. Continue reading →

Out of touch? Premier’s Team maintains view tenant advice is a luxury

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The Premier’s team again recently confirmed on the Premier’s facebook page (see below) they think that tenancy advice is a luxury!! And they continue to maintain that TAAS is a duplication of the services of the RTA.  Here’s what they said:
Premier Newman, I believe your team told TAAS that their services were a luxury the government could not afford. TAAS is not a luxury for people who rent their home. I have had to use the amazing services of TAAS and I am by no means… the most vulnerable renter of a home in Queensland. Still I needed their services. The suggestion that TAAS is a luxury illustrates that your government is out of touch with the reality of many people’s lives. Also, is it true that spending $2M advertising a first time buyers grant is going ahead while at the same time spending renters own bond money on TAAS is considered too much of a luxury? Yesterday at 16:01
Campbell Newman: Yes Susan – The Minister and the Newman Government has called duplicating services already offered by the Government a luxury we cannot afford. We stand by our decision to redirect funds to putting a roof over the heads of Queensland’s most vulnerable people. Continue reading →

Premier’s Team says tenancy advice ‘is a luxury we can’t afford’

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Kim4The Premier’s Team thinks that tenancy advice and support ‘is a luxury we can’t afford’!! When did they last rent??  That’s what they said on the Premier’s facebook page in response to a question about de-funding.  And that the the services of TAAS are already available through the government agencies of the RTA and RentConnect (see paste below).
A luxury??  Tell that to the people who are in the tribunal trying to keep their home, or the tenants without the back steps, or the ones that come into find the agent has entered without notice. This response is out of touch.  And as for suggesting that the RTA and RentConnect provide the same services as TAAS it’s simply false (we’ve discussed this before).
Anyway what happened to small government and front line outsourced/privatised service provision as a priority?  And as for ‘resources going to those most in need’ – are we using the same measure for the the $2M the government announced it would spend on advertising First Home Owner grants? Advertising!!
(reply from the Premier’s Facebook Team on Friday at 10.26)
Campbell Newman Hi Amanda – We made the announcement last year that TAAS funding would be redirected to provide additional social Continue reading →

Tenants Union urges rethink on advisory funding (ABC online)

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Reprinted from ABC News On-line Read the post directly here
by Melinda Howells Posted  Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:30pm AEST

The Tenants Union of Queensland says the closure of a statewide advisory service will create more demand for public housing.

The State Government discontinued funding last year and interim funding from the Commonwealth is about to run out.

Tenants Union coordinator Penny Carr says the service has been operating in 23 different locations and helps people stay in the private rental market.

“We’re worried that this does create more demand for social housing and it puts people at risk of homelessness,” she said.

“Our services are keeping people housed.

“The vast majority of tenants, probably just under 90 per cent of the renting households, are renting in the private rental market. Continue reading →

ninemsn coverage – Qld won’t fund tenant group

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Reprinted from ninemsn.  Read it directly http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/04/12/07/19/qld-won-t-fund-tenant-group

 7:15am April 12, 2013

The federal government says the Queensland government has put people at risk of homelessness for failing to fund tenant advocacy groups.

The state government cut funding in July 2012 to the Queensland Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) as part of its austerity measures.

The federal government stepped in with interim funding, which is due to run out at the end of the financial year.

The Queensland government has confirmed it will not fund the TAAS from July.

The organisation acted as a clearing house for government funds, distributing money to 23 non-government organisations that provided help for 80,000 households.

Federal Housing Minister Mark Butler says Queensland is the only state that doesn’t fund tenant advocacy.

“Only two weeks ago, every state and territory including Queensland recognised this as a core responsibility of every state government to continue to do,” he told ABC Radio. Continue reading →