NEWSLETTER OF THE TENANTS’ UNION OF NSW # 113 AUGUST 2016 SPECIAL EDITION LIFE BEGINS AT 40! 2 STORIES FROM 40 YEARS OF ADVOCACY 4 SHINING A LIGHT ON TENANTS’ RIGHTS 10 “We can’t ‘Share the spirit’ if we can’t afford the rent!” – a Rentwatchers rally voicing concern about rising rents and evictions in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics. FIGHTING EVICTIONS IN RESIDENTIAL DRAWING ON THE PAST, PARKS 11 THE IMPORTANCE TAKING ON THE FUTURE OF A SECURE Ned Cutcher – Senior Policy Officer, Tenants’ Union of NSW HOME 12 The Tenants’ Union of NSW is working goals, so we can continue to work TENANT NEWS: towards a society where low-income with tenants and do these things A LONG households can access secure, liveable for another 40 years or more. HISTORY 15 and affordable rental housing. In the meantime we’ll make a positive Many of our priorities have remained LITIGATION: difference to the lives of people with us since we were established in WE BEEN who rent in NSW. 1976. Starting out as a volunteer and EVERYWHERE! 17 activist Tenancy Working Group of Drawing on the experience and the newly formed Shelter NSW, our expertise we’ve gathered over the original aims were to become a A STRONG last four decades, we’re celebrating representative organisation and act VOICE FOR our 40th anniversary with a bold new as a voice for the interests of tenants. TENANTS 18 plan. We’ll ensure that high quality legal information, advice and advocacy We sought to improve the status RENTERS IN is freely available to all tenants, and rights of tenants through law PARLIAMENT 19 and we’ll influence public opinion and policy reform, and to disseminate about tenants’ rights and interests information on tenants’ rights and through research, advocacy and obligations. We hoped to build a public comment. We’ll push for fairer network of autonomous local groups, renting laws, and a rental market that affiliated with our organisation, to provides tenants and other renters provide advice and resources to with the housing options they need. tenants and encourage them to take Most importantly, we’ll strengthen our action in support of their rights. We capacity, and build new support for our collected information and undertook Continued on page 6... LIFE BEGINS AT 40! Julie Foreman – Executive Officer, Tenants’ Union of NSW Congratulations to the TU! 40 years It hasn’t always been an easy of the whole housing system and we of working for tenants rights and journey and a key characteristic of are on the verge of a cultural shift in housing justice is no mean feat. This the TU is our long-term commitment the place of renting in our society. edition of Tenant News celebrates to positive change for renters and Information is now accessed in the achievements of that hard work its vision for a secure, liveable and different ways – last year our website and also takes a clear-eyed view of affordable renting system in NSW. had over 700,000 unique visits. what still needs to be done. The long–term commitment has meant that the TU has evolved. The role of civil society organisations The TU, including our thousands of has changed in that time too. volunteers, staff, members, Board Today the TU is a nationally The contraction of the amount directors, funders and supporters accredited community legal centre, of government funding and over four decades has achieved registered training organisation, the narrowing of its focus; the real gains in legislative reform, policy think tank and authoritative competition within the community educated and advised hundreds source of information for tenants. services sector; the out-sourcing of thousands of tenants, established We have also, over time, expanded of government services and (and re-established) a network of our expertise in Aboriginal housing, pressures for small organisations to tenant advice services, positively social housing, residential parks, amalgamate has meant that the TU influenced government policy and boarding houses and older renters. has worked hard to ensure we have not actively contributed to the public The TU thanks the tenants of NSW unintentionally veered from our original discourse. You will hear about all who have taught and guided us aims or been silenced in our fight for of this from those directly involved in this work. tenants rights. We remain anchored in the pages that follow. by our vision of housing justice. Not only has the TU changed, so At any anniversary it is appropriate has the context of our work. There The TU knows that we are only as to acknowledge and thank our are more renters now (in actual strong as those around us. This is founders, many of whom not only numbers and percentage) than truer today than 40 years ago. It continue to be influenced by their could have been imagined when requires organisations like us to time at the TU but also in turn the TU began. There is a growing be excellent communicators, to continue to participate in the social recognition of the need for reform collaborate, adapt and find common justice movement. 1916 1976 1977 On 17 August 1976, the 1910 formation meeting of the Tenants’ Union of NSW Co-Op Ltd was held. The first issue of Tenants’ Union News was published in Active from 1910 November 1976. to 1916, the Rent Payers’ 1975 Association of NSW was the first tenant On 17 March 1975, the Tenancy organisation Working Group of Shelter NSW in Australia. held its first meeting, out of which grew the Tenants’ Union. Also in 1975, Your Rights as a Tenant in NSW was published – a booklet in English, Italian, Greek, Serbo-Croat, Turkish, Arabic & Spanish. 2 TENANT NEWS ground. It also requires us to notice, Robert Robert wrote the first Tenants’ acknowledge and loudly call for Rights Manual in 1975 and has change when we witness the impacts Mowbray been a major contributor to all of the imbalance of power on renters. Founding TU editions since. He has co-authored member and the ‘Private rental’ section in all So what of the future for the TU? This current TU Project Officer editions of The Law Handbook, for Older Tenants short quiz will give you a clue: bar one. He also wrote the early 1. Can renters be told to leave Robert is the longest serving tenants’ rights factsheets. Along their home for no reason? tenant advocate in NSW. His the way Robert collected two 2. Can rent be increased an involvement in tenancy issues postgraduate qualifications unlimited number of times extends over 40 years. He from the University of Sydney. in a year? became involved in tenants’ His research was based on 3. Can landlords enter a renter’s rights in his final placement as following the fortunes of over home without their consent a social work student in 1974 – 700 rental properties for 10 years. and when they are not there? and is yet to finish that placement! Robert’s first job in the community In 2004 Robert received the If you answered yes to these sector was with South Sydney Justice Medal (awarded by the questions, you are right and you will Community Aid as a Tenants Rights Law and Justice Foundation) know there is more work to do! Work Officer in 1975. Around that time for an individual who has to raise awareness, work in standing Shelter NSW was established and ‘demonstrated outstanding beside all tenants in difficult times, it set up a number of working achievement in improving access work in changing laws & policy. We’re groups, including the Tenancy to justice in NSW, particularly up for it; we hope you are too! Working Group. Membership for socially and economically consisted of housing activists from disadvantaged people’. In recent a range of backgrounds, but with The TU has also commissioned years Robert has worked as a a strong commitment to housing a short film to chart its progress tenant and housing advocate and, over 40 years. You can watch justice. They felt that there was a strong need for a separate tenants’ since 2014, as the TU’s Project it on our website & Facebook. Officer for Older Tenants – his first We interviewed people who organisation; out of that group the Tenants’ Union was born. paid job for the TU! Robert always have engaged with the TU fights hard for his many clients – over the last 40 years. Some Robert became its first Secretary in 1976. He’s been active in the he’s not one to be intimidated! of their stories appear in this See overleaf for some stories from anniversary edition of TU ever since and was awarded Life Membership in 1996. Robert’s time as an advocate. Tenant News (see right). In 1977, the TU trained and Tom Zubrycki’s film Waterloo is set up voluntary tenants’ an account of the 1970s battle advice services around NSW. by inner Sydney residents The first Community Legal Centres to save their suburb from the and the Rental Bond Board were construction of high-rise also established. The TU immediately towers by the public housing began campaigning for funding of authority. The campaign tenant services from interest was supported by resident on bonds. In 1979 the action groups and the Tenants’ Hotline opened Builders Labourers for business. Federation. It succeeded The central in persuading the 1979 number Government to renovate diverted calls existing dwellings and to a local add ‘in-fill’ houses volunteer instead. Their campaign service to also contributed provide to community tenancy consultation advice. becoming part of the development process in NSW.