Tenants in flood-affected Victorian communities have been encouraged to fight eviction notices as legal officers raise concerns about the rights of tenants affected by the state-wide disaster.
Key points:
- A Victorian community legal group urges tenants to know their rights
- Free legal advice is available for flood affected tenants via some legal centres
- The Law Institute of Victoria is imploring governments to improve Victorians’ legal literacy
Community legal centres in the Loddon Campaspe and Goulburn Valley areas have started offering free advice to people impacted by floods.
ARC Justice chief executive Damian Stock urged those who were forcibly removed from their homes to seek legal advice.
“We’ve heard estate agents state that properties are uninhabitable and they have no choice but to issue eviction notices. This is not always true,” he said.
“Sometimes the property can be repaired, sometimes the tenant can be allowed back in, while other times of course it will be unsafe or not suitable for people to return.”
Mr Stock said forced evictions of renters were the biggest concern among tenants now but expected insurance payouts to become a focus as flood recovery progresses.
He said people could encounter a range of legal issues following disasters.
“For some people, it’s access to emergency relief payments or not being able to access those quickly enough,” Mr Stock said.
“For others, it’s continuity of social security payments or Centrelink payments or employment matters or debt issues.”
Justice reform questions put to parties
The Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) has also welcomed responses from major political parties about how to provide a better legal system, ahead of Victoria’s state election later this month.
LIV president Tania Wolff told ABC Mildura-Swan Hill more focus was needed on criminal justice reform.
In September, LIV formally asked Labor, the Coalition,and the Greens how they would address systemic and structural issues within the legal system.
Ms Wolff said all parties agreed about improving legal literacy, expanding specialist courts and advancing the Treaty process.
“Part of the response requires us to look at criminal justice responses because disproportionably those that get entangled in the criminal justice system are those that are the most vulnerable and marginalised and there is an over-representative proportion of our First Nations people in that,” she said.
More housing approved for Castlemaine
The call for tenancy rights to be better protected came as Mount Alexander Shire Council approved 40 new apartments to be built in the heart of Castlemaine, as the local council sought ways of increasing affordable rental housing stock.
Councillors were unanimous in their support for the project during their last council meeting.
Bendigo-based housing provider Haven; Home, Safe will build the apartments on two council-owned blocks on Templeton Street.