HOUSING Minister Yvette Berry has denied coercion in forcing Housing ACT tenants facing relocation to sudden meetings with the Tenant Relocation Exemption Panel and accused ACTCOSS of possibly causing “unnecessary distress”.

“Ten tenants who applied for an exemption to relocation early in the process were yesterday offered an opportunity to meet with the Tenant Relocation Exemption Panel at the first available opportunity, which is later this week.

“However, these meetings will be ongoing and no one needs to attend a meeting this week if they don’t want to.

“These meetings are just an opportunity for tenants, and any support people they’d like to bring, to attend a meeting to discuss their needs and reasons for seeking an exemption to relocation to support their application if they wish to.

“The ACT government is committed to ensuring that people have a chance to discuss why they may not want to move and to talk about what supports they might need if they do.”

Yesterday (June 15), the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) complained that public housing tenants threatened with loss of their homes under the ACT government’s Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program had been given under 48 hours to arrange representation and prepare to appear before a government-appointed panel to request an exemption.

ACTCOSS CEO Dr Emma Campbell said: “ACTCOSS has written to the ACT government on numerous occasions asking for details of the promised refined process through which vulnerable tenants can receive a discretionary decision to remain in their properties.

“Despite a Housing ACT promise on May 5 that ‘upon finalisation of the Exemption Policy and Practice Guideline, expected in the coming weeks, [we] will provide a copy of this process to you,’ ACTCOSS has received no such information.

“We were therefore astonished to hear that tenants were contacted yesterday and told they had just 48 hours to prepare their case to appear before a ‘Tenant Relocation Exemption Panel’.

“Further, no information has been made available to tenants or the community sector as to the criteria for decision making; composition, qualification and independence of the panel; time period for the delivery of decisions; whether decisions can be appealed; and whether tenants can appear remotely.

ACTCOSS has called for the process to relocate public housing tenants to be non-coercive and to respect the human rights of vulnerable tenants.

Dr Campbell said: “Several months ago, after a meeting with Ministers Berry and Vassarotti, ACTCOSS welcomed the ACT government’s promise to ‘refine’ the discretionary provisions within the Growing and Renewing Public Housing Program.

“However, giving fewer than 48 hours to vulnerable tenants to make a case as to why they should be able to remain in their homes – in some cases of up to 60 years – does not meet the criteria of being non-coercive or respectful of their human rights.”

In a media statement today (June 16) Housing ACT says the initial 10 tenants seeking exemption from the Growing and Renewing Public Housing program were told their request for exemption will be considered by the Tenant Relocation Exemption Panel, which includes external representatives.

“Some tenants have been waiting since April 2022 for a decision regarding exemption, so were offered the first available opportunity to attend a Panel session, which is later this week.

“These panel sessions are not formal hearings. They are an opportunity for tenants, and any support people they’d like to bring, to attend a meeting to discuss their needs and reasons for seeking an exemption to relocation.

“There will be multiple panel sessions going forward, and tenants are able to choose a later date if they prefer.

“All tenants were advised over the phone and/or email that they could attend or nominate a representative to attend a panel in person or over the phone if they wished to.

“The purpose of the Tenant Relocation Exemption Panel is to support decision making in a transparent and holistic manner. Tenants who do not wish to relocate and feel that they have compelling reasons for not doing so, should engage in the first instance with their Tenant Relocation Officer to discuss the process and how it works (they are also able to engage with an independent and/or legal assistance).

“Eligibility to apply for an exemption centres around age, health and wellbeing. There needs to be a strong connection between the requirement to move and a significant risk to health and wellbeing. The TREP will collectively consider these reasons and the tenant’s ability to relocate in balance with the needs of the program.

“Housing ACT has obtained feedback from the Growth & Renewal Inclusive Partnerships group and the Human Rights Commission about the exemption process. Housing ACT has finalised its communications strategy to ensure affected tenants and the community are informed and have access to this information, which is rolling out progressively.”

Housing ACT coerces distressed tenants to face panel