Tenancy Conference 2025

Tenancy Network Conference 2025

Circle Green Community Legal is thrilled to invite you to our Tenancy Conference 2025: Building Belonging!

Tickets are now closed. If you need to contact us about tickets, please email tenancy@circlegreen.org.au.

The conference will be held in person at Karstens Perth, Boorloo on Monday 6 October - Tuesday 7 October 2025.  The event will coincide with International Tenants’ Day on 6 October, highlighting the rights of tenants and the importance of tenant advocacy. 

The Tenancy Conference: Building Belonging, brings together tenant advocates, lawyers and community sector workers to explore tenancy law, strengthen sector capacity and build belonging through collaboration and training.  

This will be a two-day program of keynote speakers, presentations and workshops sharing insights, skills and knowledge about tenancy and other sector related topics.

Tenancy is at the heart of WA's cost of living crisis. Join us to build solutions.

We hope you can join us! 

Conference Program

View the draft program here! (Subject to change)

Welcome and Opening Addresses:
Trish Blake – Commissioner for Consumer Protection 

The Hon. Tim Clifford MLC (Greens WA)

Monday 6 October 2025

• Eviction of Children from Public Housing – a national picture with Kate Davis

Experiencing homelessness during childhood can have lifelong consequences and breach children’s human rights. Every year, public housing authorities evict children and their families, likely into homelessness. Kate Davis and Dr Alistair Sisson have obtained data from across Australia – looking at the eviction of children and First Nations people, from public housing. Kate will present their work project titled ‘The politics of housing Data’  

Kate Davis is a lecturer in Law at Murdoch University and a lawyer who has represented public housing tenants for over a decade. Dr Alistair Sisson is a Research Fellow at Macquarie University. 

(1 CPD point - CA2)

• A Human Rights Act for WA and housing as a Human Right (Chloe Wood - Aboriginal Legal Service, Ann-Margaret Walsh - Street Law Centre and Lucia Savini - Shelter WA)

This session will provide an overview of the Western Australia for a Human Rights Act campaign and how a Human Rights Act for WA will provide individuals with protection for their human rights and ensure they can seek justice when their rights are violated. The session will present some case studies from other Australian jurisdictions which demonstrate how human rights legislation has helped people advocate for their rights to safe and secure housing.

(1 CPD point - CA2)

• Public Housing maintenance and repairs in the Kimberley (Matt Panayi - Kimberley Community Legal Service)

Insightful session providing an overview of the work being completed by Kimberley Community Legal Service (KCLS) in response to the ongoing failure of the Public Housing maintenance and repairs system. Issues include long delays, excessive charges and overall deteriorating public housing stock in the region. KCLS are currently undertaking a survey of public housing tenants in the Kimberley to capture public housing tenants’ experiences with maintenance jobs to show the WA government that Housing maintenance must improve and that the Kimberley is ready for a local solution.

Matt Panayi is the current CEO of the Kimberley Community Legal Service. He is a purpose-driven leader with over 20 years of experience across the legal, government, and community sectors. He has a deep commitment to social justice, Aboriginal self-determination, and inclusive leadership. Matt's previous roles have included; Acting Director of Youth Justice Services (NT), Manager of the Youth Services Directorate (NT), Managing Solicitor of the Royal Commission Team at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NT) and eight years at Legal Aid Western Australia, working from the Kununurra office. Matthew has led transformative reforms in youth justice and diversion, co-designed Aboriginal-led, place-based programs, and managed high-performing teams in complex environments. He also serves as Chairperson of Green Fox Training Studio, a Queensland-based social enterprise advancing digital skills and employment pathways.

(1 CPD point - CA2)

• Screening: SOLD! Who Broke the Australian Dream? A Wedge-Tail Pictures Documentary

Comedian Mark Humphries is sick of standing in lines for rentals. But if a C-grade celebrity is struggling to buy a house, how do normal people do it? Mark investigates Australia’s housing crisis, uncovering the policies which supercharged the housing market, the solutions at hand, and one big revelation that might just fix it.

­­­Wedge-Tail Pictures

Founded in 2020 by journalist Bill Code, Wedge-Tail specialises in impact documentaries taking on topics from reconciliation and environmentalism (The Lake of Scars), the Gospers Mountain bushfire (Dancing with the Devil) and housing (SOLD! Who broke the Australian Dream?).

Tuesday 7 October 2025

• In conversation with... Jordan Van Den Lamb

Jordan van den Lamb, known online as purplepingers, is a prominent socialist and housing activist. He's been described as "the Robin Hood of Renters" by the BBC and is renowned for his outspoken criticism of landlordism and public housing neglect. Jordan connects housing justice to broader economic reform. His work confronts inequality at its roots, demanding systemic change over cosmetic fixes. 

• Family and Domestic Violence and Housing Panel (OVIS, Orana House, Great Southern Community Legal)

Escaping Violence: What factors contribute to better long-term safety and housing outcomes for people escaping violence, and how are programs responding to need?  

When people escape family and domestic violence, safety is just the beginning. Long-term housing security is essential for rebuilding lives, yet too many survivors face systemic barriers, housing shortages, and limited coordinated support. 

Join our panel featuring: 

• Great Southern Community Legal – Family Safety Project 

• Orana House – Housing Families Project 

• OVIS Mandurah 

This is a chance to hear directly from services responding to need on the ground, and to consider what works and what more is needed to secure safe futures for survivors. 

(1 CPD point - CA2)

• Ombudsman WA (Brianna Lonnie - Principal Assistance Ombudsman Complaint Resolution)

(1 CPD point - CA2)

• The Pride Housing Project (Rebecca Morris-Ferrari)

The Pride Housing Project is an intergenerational housing initiative run by GRAI, an organisation established to promote the rights and wellbeing of older LGBTI people in Western Australia. The Pride Housing Project aims to find accommodation for LGBTIQA+ students in the homes of older LGBTI people to create mutually beneficial housing arrangements.

This is an opportunity to explore how the project works and have a Q&A with the Pride Housing Coordinator, Rebecca Morris-Ferrari.  

• Substantive Residential Tenancies Act training

1. Appealing a decision in the Magistrates Court (CPD 0.5 CA4 and 0.5 CA3)

2. Family and Domestic Provisions in the Residential Tenancies Act (1 CPD point - CA4)

3. Common Issues in Public Housing  (1 CPD point - CA4)

• Law reform workshop (Alice Pennycott - Circle Green Community Legal)

CPD points available for lawyers

Morning/afternoon tea, lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Wheelchair accessible venue.