NEWTAAS 2018 Annual Report

Every year I say that it has once again been a very busy year for the New England and Western Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service (NEWTAAS), and this year is no different. This year we have had minimal changes in staff, but significant casework and law reform challenges to deal with.

Our staff are a small but tight-knit team. We’re dedicated and hard-working because we know just how serious the work that we do is. We often have a direct impact on a family’s capacity to stay in their home, and thatisa very serious responsibility. We might be in different offices, with Linda and Tamara in Dubbo, Danny in Tamworth, and Robert, Neil and I in Armidale, but we make it work as a team for our clients. At the end of June 2018, Danny left us, but his good humour, empathy and thoughtful advocacy will not soon be forgotten. More about that next year.

This year was a big year also for law reform, and I spent a lot of time working with other community services to advocate for changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 in support of victims of domestic violence. Please read the initial submission we sent in to the Minister for Fair Trading, and the Minister for Women, and the additional case studies provided over the year.

As ever, I invite you to also read the case studies. These are the stories of the anxiety and distress, embarrassment and frustration that are so often felt by our clients. They tell of the walk that we do with them over this period of their lives, of our efforts to support them and make a positive difference in their lives. You can find the case studies starting on page 15. You can see that we have selected a “favourite” case each, where we’ve felt that we’ve been able to assist a client who really needed us.

I would also like to thank the Management Committee for their ongoing dedication to the Service. Anne’s support and commitment, and the support of Chris, Jim,  Brian, Jenny, Marjorie and Elizabeth has been essential to enable the staff to continue their work. Anne has followed closely in Marjorie’s footsteps, providing unfailing support and assistance throughout the year.

It’s been an amazing sixteen years. Linda, Tamara and I were all founding staff at NEWTAAS, and it’s astonishing to think that we are still here all those years later, even if Linda did wander away for a few years! I think of the 20,267casefiles, of the 17,439people who have given their trust to us in that time, and I’m thankful that we have been of service.

– KerryAnn Pankhurst, NEWTAAS Service Manager