FUNDING AVAILABLE TO EDUCATE ON QUEENSLAND’S RENTAL LAWS

Minister Robert Schwarten is calling on all Queensland community groups interested in providing community education about rental laws to apply for funding through the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) 2007 Community Education Public Grants Scheme.

Mr Schwarten said that for over a decade the grants have enabled many community groups to create education programs to promote better understanding of rental legislation throughout Queensland.

“We want to make sure everyone gets a fair go in our private rental market, and to get a fair go, you need to understand the rules.

“These grants have proven very effective in funding target groups with a genuine need for specialised resources about tenancy laws.

“Last year, the RTA allocated $180,000 to fourteen community organisations across metropolitan and regional Queensland for a range of projects.

“The grants targeted people with a disability, caravan park residents, indigenous communities, refugees and migrants as well as young people.

“I encourage organisations to apply for funding to deliver tenancy messages to groups who may not otherwise receive this information through traditional means.”

General Manager of the Residential Tenancies Authority, Fergus Smith said an example of a successful application last year was for a joint venture between Interlink Housing and ACESS services.

“These organisations are providing tenancy education in six new emerging refugee communities.

“They are conducting community education sessions and developing a tenancy information handbook translated into Swahili, Kirundi, Amharic, Arabic-Sudanese, Somali and Farsi.

Interested applicants should contact the RTA’s Community Education Unit on 07 3361 3123 or visit the RTA website at www.rta.qld.gov.au to download grant guidelines and an application kit.

Applications close on 1 June, 2007 with successful grant recipients notified around September 2007.

David Shankey – Office of Minister Schwarten – (07) 32371184

Melinda Standfield – Residential Tenancies Authority – (07) 3361 3656