Annual Report 2016-2017

The last 12 months has again been significant for the Tenants' Union and for renters in NSW. The next 12 look as equally interesting! 2017 has been dubbed ‘the year of the renter’ by Domain. In fact, this is the year where there will be more people in Sydney who don’t own property than those who do.

We continue to be active in working for structural reform to tenancy law. On behalf of the National Association of Tenants Organisations, in a landmark collaboration with Choice and National Shelter, we contributed to the design and distribution of the Unsettled report. This saw unprecedented media and political attention shift to tenants’ rights during the year. The Make Renting Fair campaign continues to build on this momentum. We have also been monitoring new laws for residents in Land Lease communities (formerly called residential parks) and made formal submissions and reports to government on the impact and efficacy of these new laws.

Changes in the social housing sector have seen us continue to engage with the Department of Family and Community Services on a range of policy and practice issues to foster better outcomes for tenants.

The Tenants' Union legal team continue their important public interest litigation. Our advice, information and referral services continue to be in demand and were provided on 3,226 occasions. Almost 800 advocates, tenants, lawyers, community and government workers were trained in tenancy law.

We launched our remodelled website in August which has enjoyed almost 850,000 unique sessions in 12 months. Our online and print publications including blogs, newsletters and e-bulletins, continue to be popular with thousands of subscribers and readers.

Our research work has tracked rents over time and by postcode; monitored Airbnb’s effect on rents and documented the impact of precarious legal coverage for share housing tenants.

We launched our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) on 13th September – the 10th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The RAP is a guide to ensuring reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is built into all aspects of the TU’s work. It is an important step in recognising history and its current impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as an opportunity to work for a reconciled Australia. 

Read more in our 2016-2017 Annual Report.