TAS continued to produce and disseminate a range of publications in 1998/99 including:
In addition a Publications Order Form was also produced as a way of improving community knowledge of and dissemination of our publications.
In recognition of the needs of young people TAS produced a new publication entitled "Guide to Renting in WA for Young People". Over 7,000 copies of this publication will be distributed to state High Schools and youth agencies across the state.
As a method of informing members and networks regarding the activities of TAS and current tenancy issues, TAS produced the first copy of it's newsletter "TAS TALK" this year. TAS hopes to produce at least two editions of the newsletter each year.
Two new information sheets were produced to be added to the Tenants Rights Manual. These are "Fair Wear and Tear" and "Court Action when the tenant has moved away, interstate or overseas". The "Water Charges" sheet was updated to reflect changes made by the Water Authority.
In 1998/99 TAS printed over 30,000 publications and distributed around 22,000 copies. The following table shows the total number of publications printed and disseminated by TAS in 1998/99 as against the Strategic Plan targets for the period. It should be noted that TAS has experienced difficulties in data collection in the publications area due to the current database. A new database is being designed which we hope will alleviate some of these issues.
| PUBLICATION | TOTAL NO. PRINTED AND DISSEMINATED | STRATEGIC PLAN TARGET |
|---|---|---|
| Tenants Rights Manual |
0 Manuals printed
42 Manuals disseminated |
50 Manuals |
| Manual Updates | 11 | |
| Tenants and the Law |
15,000 printed
10,791 disseminated |
15,000 |
|
Guide to Renting in WA
English Translated |
1500 printed
2203 disseminated 855 |
10,000 |
| Guide to Renting in WA for Young People | 10,000 printed | No target set |
| Tenancy Information Sheets |
Printing Figure Unavailable
7067 disseminated |
No target set |
| Publication Order Forms |
3,000 printed
2889 disseminated |
2,000 |
| 1997/98 Annual Report |
200 printed
190 disseminated |
No target set |
| Letting Fee Economic Impact Assessment Submission | 4 disseminated | No target set |
| Membership Form | 85 disseminated | No target set |
| Your Right to Know | 2 disseminated | No target set |
| TAS Talk |
300 printed
300 disseminated |
No target set |
Source: TAS data.
An evaluation of publications was undertaken in 1998/99 and the results are provided in the full "Advice and Publications Evaluation Report" available from TAS. The feedback from both tenants and community workers was extremely positive regarding the range of publications TAS produces and disseminates.
A further strategy of sending fax back evaluation forms with bulk mailouts of new publications has been implemented, this allows an opportunity for immediate feedback regarding specific publications.
A degree of TAS further development of publications will rely on the needs expressed by Local Service Units for publications for the purpose of tenant education. TAS has identified a number of needs for further tenancy publications. These include:
TAS has submitted a proposal to the Public Purposes Trust of the Law Society to employ a Publications Worker for 12 months to evaluate current publications, conduct a needs analysis of further publications and develop these where appropriate.
A decrease in funding for 1999/2000 will limit TAS' capacity to produce new and additional publications. TAS' will seek to address this through outlining the need for increased funds in 00/01 and submitting for one off project funds where available.