TAAS services saved by federal minister

National Shelter media release — 3 October 2012

National Shelter congratulates the federal government for providing 3.3 million dollars to enable the Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service to continue in Queensland.

In a statement today the Gillard Government announced they will provide emergency funding for the Queensland TAAS until June 2013.

The tenants’ services would otherwise have closed this month, after their funding had been cut by the state government in July.

Chairperson of National Shelter, Adrian Pisarski, is pleased to see the federal government take the lead to restore funding cut by the Newman government.

‘These services save the governments more than they cost, and we have always maintained that cutting these services was a short-sighted decision.’

Mr Pisarski also said that TAASQ is vital in preventing homelessness and maintaining households in their current rental property.

‘Tenancy advice services help 70,000 households per year to negotiate the private rental market’, Mr Pisarski said.

‘It stops people becoming homeless, and it keeps people off public housing wait lists.’

National Shelter is hopeful that this move by the federal government secures the long-term future of tenancy advice services.