The Carr Government takes away your rights.A leaflet put out by the Inner city Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service contains some interesting information about how the Carr Government is planning to take some more rights away from the Department of Housing tenants.
The proposed legislation enables the Department to impose on tenants 'acceptable behaviour agreements'. Basically if the Department thinks that you are behaving 'anti-socially' or unacceptably' they can force you to sign an agreement. Any breech of this agreement by you or your family then you are out. There is no room for discretion due to personal circumstances.
The Residential Tenancy Tribunal must remove you if you cannot prove your innocence.
It is the onus on you to explain to the Tribunal that you haven't been in breech.
It is not the onus of the Department to prove you are guilty. If you cannot refute the Department then it is out the door.
The order applies to all your family. Basically if you have an unruly teenage son, who doesn't comply then the whole family is evicted.
One of the mot dangerous parts of the legislation is that terms such as 'anti-social' and 'unruly' etc. are not defined. This means that the Department can define the behaviour it doesn't like to suite itself. So the Department can use this to simply persecute tenants it finds inconvenient.
Harassing the Department over failure to do repairs, for example, could be defined as 'unacceptable' and the Department can use the Legislation to threaten the tenant and basically, stop them complaining.
StandUp supports maximum organization, protests and action to stop this legislation. Demonstrations should be organised by tenants groups, pensioner associations and trade unions. What the government relates to is force and it is only when we show our force that governments listen.
By StandUp NEWS posted 21 July 04
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