Despite the hail and storms last Wednesday evening there was a buzz in the room at the Northern Arts Hotel as guest speakers, tenants and other community members shared their collective expertise, passion and commitment to improve tenants rights, their compliance and make the structural change required to achieve housing and social justice.
Tenants, landlords, and real estate professionals and community members were invited to join the free Tenants’ Rights Forum aimed at educating the community about tenants’ rights, available support services, and enhancing compliance with these rights.
Organised by My Home Network (MHN) Tenants Rights Working Group, the forum featured a diverse line-up of speakers, including Deb Pach from the MHN tenants rights working group, Kaz Neilson of the MHN, local tenants sharing their lived experiences, Residential Tenancy Commissioner Dr. Heather Holst, Leah Slattery from ARC Justice, and Harry Millward from the Renters and Housing Union (RAHU) -the largest housing union in Australia.
The event also included a Q&A session, providing attendees with the opportunity to raise issues and concerns. These were compiled and will be shared with Consumer Affairs as part of the State Government’s new task force aimed at improving landlord and real estate accountability.
Local tenants speakers Frankie and Wade shared their vulnerability and injustices they experience as tenants, the impacts on their mental health and their expertise and insights in navigating the rental systems.
As one attendee said “That was very moving, it takes courage to share such vulnerability but it’s a necessary element to making way for others to speak up or even feel safe to attend such a meaningful event”
“Personally it made me feel less alone as a renter, a person/family in insecure housing and more able to address all the inequities our community and individuals are facing around housing.”
Leah Slattery said “I was very pleased to see the level of community engagement in rental and housing issues – quite fortifying!”
Harry Millward from RAHU said that “Meeting with local members of the Mount Alexander Shire community was an exciting view of regional grass roots activism – speaking to those with lived experience was touching and important.
Big thanks to the My Home Network for hosting and their commitment to social justice”
Many of the attendees are joining the MHN tenants rights working group and hope to form a local branch of RAHU and continue to work with Housing Justice and the Residential Tenancy Commissioner.
My Home Network, auspiced by Dhelkaya Health, is comprised of dedicated community members, locals with lived experience of the housing crisis, and representatives from local housing initiatives, community organizations, and government bodies. Learn more about My Home Network’s work at dhelkayahealth.org.au/my-home-network.
For more information, please contact Kaz at cneilson@castlemainehealth.org.au.
