Reprinted from the Mackay Daily Mercury.  Read it directly here.

Public housing ownership may move to non-government groups

MACKAY tenant advocacy groups have criticised a recommendation put to the State Government to transfer ownership and management of public housing to non- government groups.

This week the State Government was given the Queensland Commission of Audit report, which included a recommendation to progressively transition existing and new public housing stock to the non-government sector.

However, Mackay Regional Tenants Group president Merrilyn Rowler said this was a bad idea. Continue reading →

Reprinted from the Whitsunday Times 3-5-13.  Read it directly here.

Photo from the Whitsunday Times

IT IS deja vu for staff at the Tenancy and Housing Information Service Whitsunday who have once again been told that due to a lack of funding their service is set to close.

Tenant advocate Julie Scanlon and service co-ordinator Rebecca Adamson first felt the effects of State Government funding cuts in July 2012, when it was announced that their service would close on October 30 that year.

After fighting a losing battle to see the service retained, Ms Scanlon and Ms Adamson packed their bags, sold the furniture, destroyed the records and moved out of their premises on Proserpine Main Street. Just days later the Federal Government came to their aid with funding to extend the service until June 30, 2013.

Ms Scanlon said it was hoped that the State Government would pick up the ball after that date but a recent letter from the Department of Housing and Public Works said this would not be the case.

“This service is going to close – I don’t think there’s any doubt about that, so what we need now is clarity so we can advise people where to go when we disappear – so that link is not totally lost,” she said.

Since the Whitsunday office was revived in October 2012, more than 750 tenancy matters have been passed through its doors, ranging from outright homelessness to Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) support.

Ms Scanlon said it would be awful if the service was reduced to a phone call, when so often clients needed to see a friendly face.

She said plans to redirect funding from Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS) towards the building of social housing in Queensland’s southeast would not help the people of the Whitsundays.

Nonetheless,Whitsunday MP Jason Costigan said putting money into bricks and mortar would address the problem of homelessness and made sense.

Listen to both the Federal and State Ministers for Housing as well as the Tenants’ Union of Queensland’s Coordinator discuss the TAAS funding issue on Sunshine Coast local ABC radio by clicking here.

Short, sharp and rather direct as one would expect in an opinion piece from John Birmingham – in today’s Brisbane Times.  There’s a place at the end of the piece online to make comments.  Otherwise, you can make some here.

Click here to read the piece on the Brisbane Times website.

Reprinted from the ABC newswebsite  (Brock Taylor 29-4-13).  Read it directly here

The Government is cutting funding to 23 local tenancy services around the state and federal funding runs out at the end of June.

Local coordinator Koni Johnson says her staff are still dealing with about 10 clients a day and the centre needs to stay open up until the June deadline.

“Everyone is very concerned because we’re quite committed to social justice and we believe that this decision is wrong and that’s the only way we can describe it,” she said.

“We feel interest earned on tenants’ bonds should be used for tenants and tenants can use this service because of that.”

She says claims by Housing Minister Tim Mander that the service is duplicated by the RTA are wrong.

“People are still coming in to see us and seeking advice and advocacy and if it was something they could seek advice and information about elsewhere, they would already be doing that,” she said.

“We still get approximately 10 people a day who come in and see us requiring advice because we are a specialised service in tenancy information and advice.”

Reprinted from ABC news online.  Read directly from the website here.

Fears for Qld’s homeless services after funding cuts

The Federal Government has renewed its calls for the State Government to continue funding tenant advice and advocacy services in Queensland.

Across the state, 23 services are set to close by the end of June after the Queensland Government decided to cancel their funding agreements.

Federal Housing and Homelessness Minister Mark Butler says state and territory ministers recently agreed tenancy advice was a core function of their governments.

“We’re currently considering our position,” he said.

“It’s obviously critically important that funding continue to other homeless services that are providing frontline services to people who are already homeless. Continue reading →