TACky Ministerial intervention

Tenants' circles have been buzzing with the news that the Housing Minister suddenly aborted the selection process for a 6 member Tenants' Advisory Council midway through the proceedings. The TAC was intended to replace a much larger tenants' representative body, the Public Housing Customer Council, which was itself summarily dismissed for reasons that have never been made clear.

Yesterday's Question on Notice from the Greens' excellent Senator Sylvia Hale may shed some light on potentially murky waters. Apart from the implications of a Minister undermining due process, what about the poor souls who spent days writing up their applications, and worse, those who after all their efforts, never even got interviewed, thus being placed at a disadvantage cf those who had a chance to make an impression. Not to mention people who for all we will ever know sacrificed their time to be there. DH has heard of one applicant who was in tears of disappointment.

Ms SYLVIA HALE: I direct my question to the Minister representing the Minister the Housing. Is it the case that the Minister for Housing recently set up a selection panel to receive applications, then to shortlist and interview tenants for a tenant advisory committee? Is it the case that, in the last month, the Minister instructed the selection panel to accept an application, which had not been submitted in the proper manner, and implied that this applicant should be appointed? Is it the case that, when the panel declined, the Minister dismissed the panel and has herself taken over the process of appointing tenants to the advisory committee? Will the Minister table the recent email sent from the Minister for Housing to Department of Housing staff telling them about the change in procedure for appointing the tenant advisory committee