40 organisations publish open letter calling for stronger protections during COVID transition

NSW community sector sign on today to Open Letter welcoming Minister Anderson's announcement of a transition plan to support renters over the next 6 months, but calling for stronger protections and additional financial support 

Yesterday Minister Anderson announced a six-month transition period following the end of moratorium protections on 26 March, including limited protections against eviction for tenants with COVID-induced arrears.

In an open letter to Ministers Anderson and Ward published today, forty (40) community organisations welcomed the announcement, but expressed concern the proposed transition plan may fall short of the protections required to support the security of low-income renting households and the economic recovery of NSW.

Endorsing organisations include Tenants’ Union of NSW, Vinnies NSW, Mission Australia, Community Industry Group, People with Disability Australia, Uniting NSW, Community Legal Centres NSW, Jesuit Refugee Service, Older Women’s Network, Better Renting, GetUp, and a wide range of other community and faith-based organisations and unions.

Community organisations across NSW are seeing, first hand, the financial hardship and broader impacts many NSW renters are experiencing as a result of the pandemic.  They are calling for an extension on key NSW moratorium protections through the transition period and additional financial support to assist COVID impacted renting households.

 The Open Letter calls for the NSW government to:

• Extend the eviction restrictions and rent reduction provisions for impacted tenants
• Provide additional financial supports via for example, No Interest Loan Schemes for tenants struggling with rent or targeted COVID rent relief payments
• Provide additional funding for services supporting tenants