Briefing: NSW State Government’s proposed ‘one strike’ evictions and other measures relating to crime and antisocial behaviour in public housing

NSW State Government’s proposed ‘one strike’ evictions and other measures relating to crime and antisocial behaviour in public housing

The NSW State Government intends to introduce a range of measures relating to crime and antisocial behaviour in social housing, as announced in the lead-up to the 2015 NSW State Election. The Tenants’ Union of NSW issued a briefing paper in March 2015 outlining our concerns with the proposed reforms, based on the information available to us at the time.

After further discussions with Family and Community Services, and the Minister for Social Housing’s office, we understand a bill to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and the Housing Act 2001 will be introduced during the next parliamentary session. This means the proposed measures may be introduced as early as August 2015.

We understand a draft of the amendment bill will not be circulated for consultation with key stakeholders. This update summarises the changes we believe will be made to the Residential Tenancies Act 2010, based on our discussions with Government and its relevant agencies. We reiterate our concerns.

Update: See also our preliminary comment and further comment.