Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the LNP Premier of Queensland, Campbell Newman, decided to slash and burn in my home state of Queensland, including slashing all funding to the Queensland tenant advice and advocacy service, effective 30 October 2012, the then shadow Treasurer, the member for North Sydney and now the Treasurer, said these cuts were good cuts; his exact words were 'courageous cuts'. I am here to tell you that he was wrong and Campbell Newman is wrong. These are disgraceful cuts. They are short-sighted, legally senseless and economically irrational. These are cruel and heartless cuts. Each year, about 80,000 Queenslanders seek these services. They are the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in my home state. They are often people going through financial or personal crises like job loss, illness or relationship breakdown, and too often they are victims of domestic violence. Many are suffering mental illness, likely to be exacerbated by their inability to access homelessness services.

Economically, the decision is absurd because it will cost more to look after these people who will be hurt by this terrible decision. What is more, the money that has been taken from these services is the interest accumulated from bonds paid by tenants into the Residential Tenancies Authority in Queensland. So it is not even taxpayers' money; it is tenants' money that has been taken by Campbell Newman and his LNP government in Queensland.

The former federal Labor government recognised the gravity of the situation and stepped in. We provided emergency federal funding of $3.3 million, allowing these services to continue until June 2013. We then provided a further $2.5 million to Tenants Union of Queensland, extending the funding to 31 December 2013. That was a year ago. In just over a month that funding will expire, leaving Queenslanders without tenancy advice and advocacy services—a shameful, disgraceful and tragic situation.

In my home electorate of Blair the Ipswich Regional Advocacy Service, IRASI, provides services in this regard and it punches above its weight. For the period from 1 July to 30 September this year, IRASI provided 548 hours of information, advice and referral over and above its 495 contracted hours, such is the demand Ipswich and West Moreton region in south-east Queensland. IRASI is one of 23 services across Queensland helping over 80,000 Queenslanders. Without IRASI people who are disabled and people with education and life challenges would not receive tenancy advice and court advice on many occasions.

Advocacy and advice services like IRASI keep people in their homes. In Ipswich, the Somerset region and the Lockyer Valley they are critical to preventing homelessness. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says in its most recent report that 105,000 Australians are homeless on any given night. Presently IRASI receives an extra 55 new clients per month in addition to its existing client base. IRASI's last quarterly report shows increase in its service by 100 hours over the month, so the problem exacerbates not abates.

The most effective way to reduce homelessness is to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place. IRASI is doing that for people in the Ipswich and West Moreton region. It even restructured its services to better serve its clients base and to provide better value for money. These services are crucial to the people of this region. I am advised by IRASI manager, Tracey Slater, that it is required yearly funding operating budget is $230,000. That is all they seek from the Queensland government. That funding would enable IRASI to continue work with its clients, many of whom have absolutely no where to go.

The mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale, has lent his support to IRASI's representation to the Queensland LNP government. In fact, a number of meetings have been held at the offices of IRASI and in my electorate office. Regrettably, despite invitations on repeated occasions, the local state LNP members Ian Berry member for Ipswich and Sean Choat, the member for Ipswich West, have not seen fit to join these discussions or even attend these meetings. In fact, Ian Berry sent a one-sentence letter to IRASI in relation to this issue—a dreadful response. I have written personally on 6 November 2013 to the state LNP housing minister, Tim Mander, requesting he reconsider his government's callous and brutal decision in this regard. I am yet to receive a response.

I urge the federal Treasurer, the member for North Sydney, to speak to his LNP colleagues in Queensland and ask them to reconsider this decision. We need to fund IRASI and services like that in Queensland. If the Queensland government will not step in, I urge the current coalition government to save the services in Queensland and do the right thing by all of Queensland.