An open Letter To The Premier Of Queensland

Dec. 8, 2009 - PRLog -- Dear Premier,

Recently you have introduced a new piece of paperwork for the Real Estate Industry. What I refer to is the Compulsory “sustainability declaration” for all properties offered for Sale!
During the busiest time of the year, with staff going on well deserved Christmas Holidays, Australia Post clogged up with Christmas Cards and with no lead in or grace period, no consultation and with massive fines imposed on Real Estate Agents and Vendor for non compliance, $10,000 and $2,000 respectively, we are expected to have all vendors sign a Sustainability Declaration!!
Yesterday we have attended a Seminar in Cairns sponsored by the REIQ and with one of your spoke-persons explaining things, to add insult to injury  we have been told in no uncertain terms that if a vendor will not or cannot fill in the declaration it’s all good provided that they sign it!!   What joke is this, you really want to be thrown out !  We are not a massive agency, we have approximately 300 vendors  we have to mail out forms and explanatory letters to, at 4 sheets of paper each that’s almost 5 packs of copy paper plus 600 envelopes, without taking into consideration the resources used, like toner ink etc.!!   And you are trying to portrait your government as a Green Government?? This legislation is a waste of resources!  You have a lead in period of 5 years on legislation to “save” a child’s life,(pool Fencing) but hardly a month for an empty, useless document that will be disregarded and discarded by 99% of all buyers.
People Buy houses on location, address, look and size. Very very  few people are worried about aspect or “Environmental Features”.
The dead line for compliance is the 1st of January 2010! After that the Sustainability police will be out in force checking that we have “a” signature on some useless paperwork, what do you expect us to do come in the office at midnight and remove from view and from the web all properties that don’t have a SD?? Even KRudd is not this bloody minded. Maybe Mr Fraser is so short of money that he is trying to replenish the coffers by fining Real Estate Agents?  I suppose that at $10,000 per property our fine for non compliance would be 3millions!! That’s going to help your bottom line!!

Premier have a good look and repel this crazy piece of law or whatever it is, legislation for the sake of legislation is no good!

Sincerely

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