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Port Stephens Council takes positive action on Development Application notifications

Council
The Tenants’ Union has spoken with many land lease community home owners regarding proposed developments in their communities. Developments can range from small to large scale projects involving infrastructure installation, road repositioning and the relocation of sites and homes. All developments potentially impact the current residents however, those residents often only become aware of a development when work commences, and that is a cause of dismay and concern to many. Port Stephens Council has recognised this in an issue and has taken positive action.
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Through lockdowns, moratoriums and housing crises – inequality keeps growing

Vaccination
Like the COVID outbreak itself, the effects of lockdown are proving worse for people who are already disadvantaged. And housing is a key factor in this growing inequality. While overseas travellers isolate in hotels, and some people own homes spacious enough to be able to follow official guidelines on separate bedrooms and bathrooms, others face very different circumstances. Many renters are in overcrowded housing (Fairfield Champion) or temporary and unstable accommodation (ABC News) because that's all that's affordable in this rental market – this makes it much harder to protect against infection, and follow the lockdown rules. 
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Older women facing homelessness in Australia: from awareness to action

At Risk 2021 From awareness to action, aerial view of houses behind banner
On Friday, 17 September 2021 HAAG organised the online forum, ‘At Risk 2021 Forum’, hoping to move us on from an acknowledgement of the problem of older women and homelessness to real action to address it. The half day forum brought together advocates from across the housing and homelessness sector, researchers, journalists, decision makers and women with lived experience. In this short blog Robert Mowbray, the Tenants' Union's Older Renters' Project Officer, provides a summary of the highlights and key takeaways from the forum.
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NEWTAAS Annual Report 2021

NEWTAAS Advocates
New England and Western Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service works in our region to increase access to the legal system for the most disadvantaged people in the communities we serve; help clients be better informed of their tenancy rights and responsibilities and the options available to them; refer clients to other services when our Service is not able to assist them with their issue; work towards a more just, equitable and accessible society for all people; and ensure staff in our Service maintain high standards of professional conduct and service delivery.
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Make Renting Fair campaign relaunch: When renters organise, we can win!

We’re relaunching our Make Renting Fair campaign, and we want to explore alongside our community: what can we do to build a fairer renting system? What can we learn from successes overseas about how we can organise renters and win?
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Can an owners corporation legally mandate vaccination in a strata community?

Strata apartment block shot from below, blue sky surrounds the block.
Recently, a residential complex in Sydney informed residents it would be requiring that all persons entering the building must be vaccinated, which raises the question can an owners corporation mandate vaccination for residents of an apartment building (owners and tenants)? In this blog Lehana De Silva, Tenants' Union of NSW, and Justin Abi Daher, Marrickville Legal Centre, look at the issue of vaccine mandating in strata communities from a legal perspective.

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The high risks faced by international student renters in Australia.

Student housing sign, white text against blue background on wall Credit: @billsoPHOTO
International students in Australia make a huge contribution to the economy and the community. They also face serious struggles and hardships. Finding and keeping rental accommodation is one of the major hidden risks they face. COVID-19 has made it even riskier. Professor Alan Morris and colleagues recently undertook significant research about international students' experience in the private rental sector in Australia prior to and during the pandemic. In this interview, Paul van Reyk, Senior Project Officer with the Tenant’s Union, talks with Alan about the recent research.
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Tenants' Union NSW welcomes extension of moratorium and an increased Residential Tenancy Support Payment

text reads: moratorium extended. Extension of eviction restrictions to 11 November and further rental support for impacted renters accounced
The Tenants' Union NSW welcomes the NSW Government's announcement the current eviction moratorium will continue until 11 November. This sits alongside an increase of an additional $1,500 to the available Residential Tenancy Support Payment, taking the available maximum payment to $4,500 to help reduce rents for struggling households as NSW's lockdown continues. Once the moratorium lifts, transitional protections will be put in place to ensure renters are able to negotiate a reasonable payment plan, and are protected from eviction for any debt built up during the moratorium period.
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Housing crisis in regional NSW: What can be done?

Text reads Housing crisis in regional NSW, What can be done? TUNSW submission, image: http://www.freepik.com">Designed by Freepik
Recently the Tenants’ Union of NSW provided a submission to the NSW Regional Housing Taskforce. Regional NSW is in the midst of housing crisis, and its impact is being felt particularly by households who rent their homes. In our submission we provide data on the record low vacancy rates and the sharp increases in market rent in the private rental sector; identify a number of key drivers of this trend, and outline the various ways in which the crisis is being experienced by renters. Key recommendations include delivery of social and affordable housing in regional NSW, and reform to NSW tenancy law.
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Outasite – land lease community magazine

Outasite cover
The Tenants' Union has just published Outasite – our annual printed publication for land lease communities! It has been delivered to mailboxes in communities all over NSW. This issue includes articles on electricity in land lease communities, the Review of the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act, Local Government regulations impact on home owners, site fee increase methods, and more...
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