Tenancy and Social Housing

The case concerned an appeal by Gold Coast Property Expo against a decision by a member to strike out or summarily dismiss their residential tenancy compensation claim against their former tenants.

The applicant applied for an exemption pursuant to section 113 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) for the purposes of owning and operating a manufactured home park supplying special accommodation solely for persons aged 50 and older. The Tribunal weighed the application against the infringement of rights under the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) and subsequently refused the application.

The appellant sought a stay of the Tribunal’s decision to terminate the residential tenancy agreement between the appellant and respondent. The appellant also filed an application for leave to appeal the decision which included a generalised complaint that his rights under the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) were infringed by the termination because of a shortage of housing on Badu Island. The Tribunal acknowledged the appellant would be disadvantaged due to the shortage of housing, but also noted the respondent would be equally disadvantaged by not having access to her own property: at [11]. The Tribunal refused the application for a stay but did not otherwise make any substantive comments or findings in relation to the application of the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).

This case concerned an application for a non-publication order relating to medical evidence that the applicant had filed in relation to an application he was pursuing under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld). In refusing the non-publication order, the Tribunal considered that the production of the document was in the interests of justice and that the applicant’s right to privacy had not been unlawfully or arbitrarily interfered with.

This matter concerned a minor civil dispute claim by a commercial lessor against the directors of the lessee company for various costs including rental arrears. The relevant issue on appeal was whether a decision by an adjudicator not to call for submissions regarding the issue of jurisdiction was a breach of natural justice.

This case concerned the right to a fair hearing, particularly the right to have all judgments or decisions made by a court or tribunal publicly available pursuant to section 31(3) of the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld). The applicant sought an order that his name be suppressed to protect his mental health, and the Tribunal ordered a non-publication order on this basis.

The Department of Housing and Public Works sought to terminate the self-represented respondent’s State Tenancy Agreement on the basis of the ‘objectionable behaviour’ of the Respondent.

An application for the termination of a community housing lease was brought by a Housing Officer on the ground that the lessee would not leave the property. Human rights were considered, but not discussed in detail by the tribunal.