TAS spent a significant amount of time and focus on continuing to develop the tenancy network model proposal it had initiated and promoted in previous years. The year was exciting in this regard as it culminated in the establishment of a funding program and a doubling of funds for tenancy services in Western Australia. Some background to the new Program and TAS' involvement in its development and establishment is provided below.
The Tenancy Network Funding Program consists of $625,000 from the Rental Accommodation Fund monies for 1999/00. It is being administered by the Ministry of Fair Trading on a 12 month pilot basis with the possibility of triennial funding being provided thereafter.
The Program provides funding for local service units in metropolitan and regional areas of Western Australia to provide advice and education services to tenants. Funding is also provided for a central resource unit (which Tenants Advice Service successfully tendered for) to resource and support funded and unfunded local services throughout Western Australia.
Target groups under the Program are residential tenants (private and public), particularly those who:
Funding for four local services was provided in the following regions (organisations involved in the successful in the tender bid for the region are indicated in brackets):
Funding for three local services was provided for the following metropolitan corridors (organisations involved in the successful in the tender bid for the region are indicated in brackets):
Corridor 1:
Joondalup, Wanneroo, Stirling, Swan, Bassendean, Bayswater, Cambridge and Vincent (Northern Suburbs Community Legal Service in conjunction with Welfare Rights and Advocacy Service).
Corridor 2:
Perth, South Perth, Canning, Belmont, Victoria Park, Armadale, Gosnells, Kalamunda and Mundaring (Gosnells District Information Centre in conjunction with Sussex Street Community Law Service).
Corridor 3:
Subiaco, Claremont, Peppermint Grove, Mosman Park, Nedlands, Cottesloe, Melville, Fremantle, East Fremantle, Cockburn, Kwinana, Rockingham, Mandurah and Serpentine-Jarrahdale (Community Legal and Advocacy Centre in conjunction with Southern Communities Advocacy and Legal Education Service).
Funding for the Program is generated from the Rental Accommodation Fund (RAF) which consists of the interest on tenants bonds lodged under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). There is predicted growth for Program funds (albeit slow) through increased bond lodgments and returns in the RAF.
The RAF was established under the RTA and has been in existence since the RTA came into effect in October 1989. The RAF is made up of interest generated from tenants bond monies deposited in joint accounts as required by the RTA. The funds in the RAF were initially applied to costs associated with the Ministry of Fair Trading and Local Court functions under the RTA. The scope for funding was extended to fund advice and education services for tenants following the 1995 review of the RTA and the Rental Accommodation Fund running at a "surplus".
Since the first review of the RTA in 1991 TAS, with the support of other community agencies, has lobbied that bond interest money was tenants money and should ideally be refunded to tenants. Failing this, that the scope of the RAF should be extended to fund tenant specific purposes.
No specific funding program was established for the initial allocation of RAF monies. Although, the change in scope enabled increased funding to TAS for 1996/97 and to replace funds previously provided from the MFT budget. Sussex Street Community Law Service was also granted funds in response to a funding request. With a number of other community organisations expressed interest in receiving funds for tenancy services TAS promoted the introduction of a funding program along the lines of the "network model" it had first proposed in 1995 as a more effective method for allocating funds than an ad hoc approach.
The network model arose through TAS considering how best to meet continuing unmet need for tenancy services in Western Australia. The network model was based on TAS' research of successful models in other States as well as building on TAS' approach to its work for education and advocacy support with various communities and agencies (both geographic and special interest). The model was preferred as a strategy for expanding funding for tenancy services in Western Australia, rather than a wholesale expansion of TAS to provide statewide tenancy services.
The network model is essentially a collaborative model of service delivery. The principles behind the model included that TAS' "expertise" was in tenancy and that local services knew and were more closely linked to their local communities than TAS. Therefore, more appropriate and comprehensive services could be developed combining local knowledge and networks with TAS' tenancy expertise and resourcing capacity. Also, that a coordinated network of tenancy services through a Resource Unit would lead to better quality and consistent outcomes for tenants through information sharing, maximising resources and avoiding duplication.
MFT agreed with the need to develop a Program for the development and administration of funds. A consultant was engaged by MFT in early 1998 to research and recommend a preferred model for a funding program under the RAF for tenants' advice and education services. Following consultation involving community organisations and government departments a version of the network model initially proposed by TAS was recommended by the consultant. The consultant made a number of other recommendations for the administration of the Program including triennial funding.
Another consultant was engaged by MFT in September 1998 to undertake a preliminary needs analysis based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data added to with quantitative and qualitative information from stakeholders to recommend service locations. Following the report of this consultant MFT then outlined the proposed service model (see next page) to community agencies and sought comments.
Key comments from community agencies including TAS related to the proposed location and coverage of proposed services. For example two regional services were proposed; one to meet the needs of the North West of the State for Carnarvon, Port Hedland and Broome and the other to meet the needs in the Kalgoorlie region. Sector feedback urged the establishment of four rather than two regional services and for the regions to be more contained. The sector, led by TAS, also urged modelling of need based on private renter data, as the consultant's modelling had only examined public renter data and TAS knew private renters to face significant disadvantage in renting and to be in need of services. Comments were also provided on the areas to be covered by metropolitan services. Sector comments were incorporated by MFT into the final decision on the number and locations of funded local services.
TAS also expressed concern, with the support of others, that the Statewide Telephone Advice Services provided by TAS were not provided for in the model and urged a separate tender for this service. Of note is that this did not eventuate and this has become an issue for TAS and local funded services in the transition to the new model. There were also differing views as to whether local services could provide casework services or were limited to advice services under the wording of the RAF scope in the RTA. TAS provided an alternative legal opinion and urged Crown Law advice to be sought by MFT. Crown Law confirmed that the RAF scope extended to casework services. This resulted in the functions of local services being expanded by MFT to incorporate casework.
Following further refinement to the Program by MFT the tender brief was designed by MFT in consultation with Contract and Management Services. Tender proposals were sought in May 1999 and awarded in late July 1999. Since the beginning of August 1999 TAS has been adapting to add its new Resource Unit functions to its existing community legal services and working with funded local services to implement the new Program. This will be a key focus for TAS in 1999/00.