Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to express my disgust and dismay at the decision of the Campbell Newman LNP government to cut off all funding to the Ipswich Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Service. Every month 600 tenants will be denied the opportunity to call this service. There will be no frontline services in tenancy across Queensland, the only state not to have it. This service cared for 158 tenants in court since January this year, saving 20 of them from being evicted.

TAAS coordinator in Ipswich, Arlene Lewis, said six workers at the 22-year-old Ipswich service will lose their jobs, including herself. She said:

We believe that homelessness in Ipswich will double because we won't be here to sustain tenants in private rentals. We will be the only state—

that is, Queensland—

without a tenancy service.

And that service is at the front line. This is a disgrace.

Chris Day, who rents privately in Ipswich, said that he could not understand his rent ledger so he turned to TAAS in Ipswich. And guess what the state LNP member for Ipswich said? He acknowledged that TAAS had assisted many tenants. He said:

It would be nice to be able to continue to fund this program.

It is not only nice, it is the right and decent and honourable thing to do. I call on the LNP government to reverse this decision.