NESB Housing Taskforce NSW

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Item

Discussion

Action

1. Minute taker

Any volunteers?

Maureen volunteered

2. Apologies

Jasmina Bajraktarevic and Arna Rathgen (STARTTS)

Accepted

3. Review of notes from Feb 2004 meeting

Correction to second last line in point 2 Private Rental Market: ‘Jemma’ should read ‘Jenman’.

Noted

4. Format of Minutes/ Action List

Discussed: do we want an action list or more detailed minutes?

Decided: action list is fine for most items.

5. Housing needs of visa subclass 202 entrants: paper

* Mark Green circulated a draft paper on refugee housing needs.

* Discussed the 17 recommendations in the paper and suggested some changes (see attached very sketchy notes of these suggestions).

* Paper will be for State and Commonwealth governments: meetings with Ministers (FaCS, Immigration); take it to MAC

Mark to email paper to Mary

Mary to email it to everyone else

Mary to do section on social housing

Everyone to read it and comment/ suggest additional recommendations for next meeting.

6. Upcoming Federal election

* The next federal election is crucial for social housing: Commonwealth Govt provides money for social housing under the Commonwealth/State Housing Agreement (CSHA).

* We need to ask all parties to state what they will do if elected about increasing resources for social housing.

* For useful issues to raise in letters to politicians: check Shelter NSW website – especially a Money Matters seminar paper by Carol Mills (former Deputy Director-General of Dept of Housing)

* Shelter Seminar on social housing 24 June 2004 : politicians from major parties will be there; opportunities to raise issues from the audience.

* Shelter is working on a lobbying resources kit and campaign for the election.

* Key demand in lobbying all politicians is the need to re-open the CSHA to get $$ back to the level they were.

* We should also use Mark’s paper to lobby all parties, endorsed by as many taskforce member organisations as possible

Taskforce members who can should write to local federal member setting out client groups’ needs and why social housing is the most appropriate accommodation.

Attend the seminar if you can

Stay tuned to Shelter’s website www.shelternsw.org.au

Taskforce members to discuss with their own organisations: to endorse Mark’s paper and send it to politicians as a taskforce document

7. Private rental market issues

* Tenants’ Union : Michelle is happy to come to taskforce meetings

* Dept of Fair Trading: ask for a meeting with Minister Reba Meagher

* Case studies: Rene has 2 to illustrate good and bad real estate agency practice; Cheryl is following up some others.

* Training: discussed what kind of training we want with Bronwyn from Western Sydney Tenants Service (WESTS) who can train community workers and clients re rights and responsibilities of tenants; Bronwyn is training Rene’s colleagues this week.

Annie (Rene’s colleague) will distribute a flyer about training 28 July for other interested community workers. Limit of 20; RSVP to WESTS; need to evaluate whether the training met the group’s needs

Mary to organise meeting with Minister

Everyone to collect case studies

Bronwyn to draft a flyer re training 28 July

Annie (Settlement Service International) to email the flyer to networks (PDF format)

RSVP to WESTS

8. Refugee support network meeting

RSN discussed development of a refugee housing strategy and agreed to take up social housing crisis and implications for housing refugees with Prime Minister and Cabinet and DIMIA.

Taskforce agreed to develop Mark’s paper to encompass some of the broader issues and use it as a core taskforce document.

9. Other business

• New legislation about ‘spam’: if we want to add anyone to the taskforce’s mailing list we need to ask them to email Mary asking to be included on our list (ie, people now have to opt in rather than opt out)
• Dept of Housing partnership project proposal: needs work
• Mark and Rene are changing jobs: Mark to coordinate the Refugee Advice and Casework Service; Rene to be a counsellor

Noted

Maureen to email proposal to Mary

Discuss proposal at next meeting

Thanks for your contributions and good luck!

10. Agenda item for next meeting

History and structure of the taskforce: broader membership and range of issues than refugee and settlement services.

Cheryl to provide background info

11. Next meeting

2.30 pm , 9 June 2004 at Auburn MRC

Be there!