Rental support
Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (14:25): My question is to the Premier. These are the words of Freya, a Victorian renter: ‘I got a room to rent, after couch surfing for six months – half a year, apologising to friends, living out of a bag. Now I’m terrified for the next rent increase. What if one bad thing happens and I can’t work? I have a good job, but more than half my pay goes to rent. Every day, most of the day, I think about money. I can’t go to the doctor. I can’t turn the heater on. I eat from the “kids eat free” basket from the supermarket. Yesterday I had to steal tampons. My rent is sucking the life out of me.’ Premier, there was nothing in the budget for renters again this year. Why is Labor pretending that renters do not exist?
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport Infrastructure is warned.
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:27): I thank the member for Richmond for her question because it gives me the opportunity through this question to say to Freya and all renters, who are being told a hot mess of disingenuity by the member for Richmond and her colleagues, how we are actively supporting renters in this state. The first thing I would say to the member for Richmond, if she is so committed to supporting people like Freya – because we know there are many particularly young Victorians who are feeling rental stress – is that it all starts with supply. The key way to support more people to have the dignity of a roof over their head, whether it is being able to afford to buy their own home or choose to access a rental property, is to build more properties, so why do the Greens continue to team up with the Liberal Party and oppose the construction of more properties? That is the key question that the member for Richmond should be considering as she stands here and asks questions about renters and their rights and support. We have seen, whether it is in the city halls in councils around the inner city or indeed in state Parliament, that too many times the Greens have not walked the talk and supported more homes being built across the state.
We are taking a very different approach. We are doing everything we can in terms of building more homes, because the key way to address supply is to build more homes. Just last Monday the planning minister and I were in Docklands to announce that approval had been provided for another build-to-rent project that will support 925 new build-to-rent properties. Of course Melbourne is the build-to-rent capital of the nation thanks to the work the Treasurer has been doing to ensure that we have the incentives in the right place to be able to attract this sort of investment into the build-to-rent market.
We acknowledge too that renters are facing rental stress, which is why just a week ago the Minister for Consumer Affairs announced a rental stress assistance package – announced additional assistance to provide support to renters, which is also, I am advised, in the budget papers. Then last night we saw the federal Labor government extend their support to renters as well.
We will continue to be hardworking and up-front with renters about how we will support them, and I would hope that the Greens political party would stop their campaign of misinformation and get on and do their job and support us in building more homes for more renters.
Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (14:30): I thank the Premier for her answer, but this is coming from a government that has demolished more public housing than it has built and refused to free up the 48,000 Victorian homes that are currently on Airbnb. This government’s policies for landlords and developers are putting 82 per cent of renters in this kind of extreme stress, and if Labor had frozen rents when the Greens asked them to, renters like Freya would have saved $2500, enough to at least turn the heaters on. This is not some Greens fantasy. Around the world, governments have introduced rent controls to stop landlords pushing renters to the point where they are stealing food or sleeping on couches or staying in abusive relationships. Premier, what will it take for Labor to stop unlimited rent increases?
Members interjecting.
Jacinta Allan: I did not hear the question. I am happy to hear it again.
The SPEAKER: Could the member for Richmond repeat just the question.
Gabrielle DE VIETRI: In silence?
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. Member for Bentleigh!
Gabrielle DE VIETRI: The question is: what will it take for Labor to stop unlimited rent increases?
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: The member for Mordialloc can leave the chamber for half an hour.
Member for Mordialloc withdrew from chamber.
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:31): I know the member for Richmond knows this, because this question has been asked previously in the chamber. There is evidence here and around the world that the sort of measure the member for Richmond is asking for does not work. It does not address supply, it does not address the maintenance needs of rental properties and it does not increase the number of homes available for renting. The Greens political party are very keen to provide advice to the rest of us about taking an evidence-based approach to a whole range of policy matters, so my question to the member Richmond –
Members interjecting.
Jacinta ALLAN: In silence? I thought we were showing a level of respect here in the chamber. I would have thought that on this the Greens political party would hold themselves to the standard they expect everyone else to be held to and take an evidence-based approach to public policy. We are increasing supply and we are supporting renters in stress, and that is the path we will continue on.