Tuesday, 2 May 2023

Rental support

Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (14:25): My question is for the Premier. Right now across Victoria we are seeing the worst rental crisis in living memory. We are seeing retired women sleeping in cars. We are seeing families with schoolkids sleeping in tents. We are hearing from way too many people who are just one rent rise away from homelessness. Given the severity of this crisis, will the government act urgently to implement an urgent two-year rent freeze to protect renters from further rent rises?

Daniel ANDREWS (Mulgrave – Premier) (14:26): I thank the member for Richmond for her question. I have no announcements today to make in relation to changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, but I am indebted to the honourable member for giving me an opportunity to reflect just for a moment on more than 100 changes that we have made to that act. The member will be well acquainted with those changes, given that at various points she and her political colleagues have sought to claim credit for those changes. But it was not a Green government that made those changes. It was our Labor government. Everything from hanging a picture to having a pet to having a long-term lease to not unimportantly –

A member interjected.

Daniel ANDREWS: Well, now, we were going along so well, and you had to remind us of the Northcote by-election. The member for Northcote is only too happy to be reminded about who represents the mighty community of Northcote – it is in fact the parliamentary secretary that is sitting behind me here.

But let us not be distracted. The question that is raised is a good one, and it is an important matter. The point that I was about to make in terms of, if you like, a series of highlights from our many, many changes to the Residential Tenancies Act is in fact the change that allows landlords to increase the rent but once a year. That is really very, very important. Now many landlords are increasing the rent, availing themselves of their power under those provisions, and they are increasing rents substantially. That is putting significant pressure on a number of tenants in a number of different communities. I would point out that Commonwealth rent assistance – the name rather gives it away – is a Commonwealth program, and I would urge the federal government to do more and do better when it comes to support for vulnerable tenants. Their budget is next week. Let us wait and see whether there is a windfall for tenants out of that.

In terms of the broader issue, I am obliged to point out, and I do so almost reluctantly, about the very political party – and I am not questioning the degree to which the member is concerned about these issues or the degree to which they are real – that you cannot very well have senators lined up against the social and affordable housing future fund, this very moment standing in the way of $10 billion – $10,000 million – and then get up here lecturing people about affordable housing –

Ellen Sandell: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is knowingly misleading the house on this matter. I know that the government would prefer to blame others –

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, member for Melbourne.

Daniel ANDREWS: You cannot very well be opposed to the biggest single investment by a national government in social and affordable housing and at the same time be in here basically lecturing the government on what it ought to do. These are serious matters, but you have got to come to this with some sense of credibility, because there is too much at stake not to have policy consistency and some credibility. That would be a bit like someone whose political party had stopped social housing at the local government level.

Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (14:29): So this government has made amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act – absolutely. We can hang a picture, we can live with our pet, we can flush the toilet and we can lock the door – whoop-de-do! Renters need real rights. Right now, they can be evicted for no reason.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Deputy Premier! I would like to hear the question.

Gabrielle DE VIETRI: Right now, renters need real rights. Will this government advocate at the meeting for housing ministers across the country on Wednesday for rent freezes to protect renters from the 11.5 per cent rent increase that we are about to see over the next 12 months?

Daniel ANDREWS (Mulgrave – Premier) (14:30): I thank the member for Richmond for her quite extraordinary supplementary question. You know how you flush a toilet? With running water. Apparently running water is a point of humour, but not every tenant has got running water, let me assure you. If the member for Richmond got out a bit more and spent less time blocking social housing and a bit more time building it, or a bit less time claiming credit for changes to the Residential Tenancies Act and more time actually delivering them, she might well know that there are more than a few people in this state and in other jurisdictions across the country who do not think it is whoop-de-do to have a heater that works, power on, water that runs, a roof over their head. Honestly, the member for Richmond has literally said it all. This is a question about her, not about anyone she might advocate for. While the games are being played by some, we will keep building social housing, we will keep advocating for the federal government to build social housing and we will keep looking after vulnerable Victorians in whatever circumstances they find themselves in. Whoop-de-do to that, hey?