This edition of TAS Talk comes to you at a momentous time in the delivery of tenancy services in Western Australia. A new tenants advice and education funding program has been established and funds previously allocated for tenant services have more than doubled. TAS is excited about the new program and the expansion of services for tenants through a model premised on networking and collaboration. We see the program as the culmination of many years of lobbying, hard work and perseverance. The program by no means meets all tenants needs for services and we are excited at the possibility of more services being funded in future years through growth to the Rental Accommodation Fund.
TAS' part as a Resource Unit in the new program is a consolidation of the work we have been doing for many years now. The consolidation allows us to focus our resources and energy on resourcing and supporting community workers who work with tenants through legal advice and support on their tenancy cases as well as to further specialise our casework with a test case and public interest focus. It also allows the continued development of our training, education and publications work to workers and tenants throughout the community. TAS is still maintaining links with tenants through the continued operation of our telephone advice service as well as specialised casework and links with tenancy service workers.
The Resource Unit function is complementary to TAS being a specialist community legal centre with a Statewide mandate. To this end TAS will maintain its commitment to the delivery of accessible legal services, law reform and community legal education. The major shift has been that many of services now target local tenancy services and workers with tenants with tenant services being provided through locally based services.
TAS brings a dynamic team to adapting to our changing role and helping implement the new program. Penny Kirk and Rebecca Smith started work with TAS in our administrative area early in 1999 and have already enhanced our systems and procedures to provide a solid hub to TAS various services and organisational requirements. Joanne Walsh continues with TAS after more than five years as Tenant Advocate and has added Access and Equity work to her role of providing tenancy advice and support. Lanie Chopping has been TAS' Community Legal Education Worker for two and a half years and continues to extend and ensure excellence in TAS' training and publications work. Robyn Ninyette started as TAS' Solicitor in September 1999 and is bringing mountains of enthusiasm and ideas to developing TAS legal practice area under the new program. I have been with the service for nine years now and continue to bring commitment and enthusiasm to the development and delivery of quality and accessible services to tenants to my work as well as acting as TAS representative on many tenancy issues and policy areas. More details of TAS workers and their areas of responsibility are provided in the pages that follow.
We look forward to continuing to work with those of you we already know and forging links with those of you we have yet to meet and to an exciting and dynamic year for tenancy services in 2000.
Pauline Logan