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On 16 August 2011, the NSW Ombudsman tabled a special report to Parliament titled More than board and lodging: the need for boarding house reform. The report draws on extensive work by the Ombudsman´s office since 2002, which has identified serious concerns about the safety, health, welfare and rights of the residents of licensed boarding houses, and the adequacy of the system that is meant to protect them.
The work over the past nine years has:
- highlighted the vulnerability of people living in licensed boarding houses, many of whom have a disability and require daily supervision and support, and has found that boarding house accommodation does not afford residents adequate protection, support or rights;
- repeatedly found critical failings on the part of the relevant government agency (Ageing, Disability and Home Care) to fulfil its responsibilities to monitor and enforce standards in licensed boarding houses; and
- identified that the current legislation and standards relating to licensed boarding houses are inadequate to protect residents from harm and violations of their fundamental human rights.
In this report, the NSW Ombudsman indicated that at a minimum action must be taken by government to address the existing problems with the legislation governing licensed boarding houses and to improve the circumstances of their residents. However, they also stated that there are compelling reasons to undertake broader reform of the boarding house sector to bring better protections and regulations. The need for concerted and sustained cross-government action to achieve real and improved outcomes for people living in licensed and unlicensed boarding houses is meant to be long overdue.
Source: Corporate Division NSW Ombudsman, Sydney, Australia
