Contracts and conduct: Using tenancy law to govern crime and disorder in public housing in New South Wales

摘要

This article considers the significance of contracts for public housing in New South Wales, how the provisions of tenancy law are used by FACS Housing to deal with crime and disorder, and the role of the Tribunal in tenancy legal proceedings. FACS Housing uses tenancy law variously as an attempted adjunct to supportive modes of "working with clients" and, on the other hand, as an instrument of authoritative control; though in both regards, tenancy law is a heavy, blunt instrument. The article suggests that safeguards in respect of FACS Housing's use of tenancy proceedings are important, and that the problems of public housing neighbourhoods will be ill-addressed by legislating for further "crackdowns".