Laverton electorate
Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (14:43): (901) My question is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs. In the past couple of weeks housing reforms have been on the agenda for our government with a suite of announcements designed to make sure that Victorians have a place to call home. Included in these announcements were a series of rental reforms designed to make Victoria’s rental market fair for everyone. In addition, it was announced that Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria will be starting from the middle of next year alongside VCAT, providing a one-stop shop for all rental disputes, making things fairer and quicker for both landlord and tenant alike. As the member for Laverton and currently a renter myself, I talk to folks out in my electorate quite regularly about all of the challenges facing renters, because they are the things I have experienced as well, which is why I know the reforms that we have announced, including things like banning all remaining forms of no-cause evictions, preventing landlords from making dubious bond claims and banning fees paid by renters through rent-pay apps are not just tinkering around the edges. These are real tangible changes that I know will make a world of difference. My question for the minister is this: how will these reforms benefit renters in my electorate of Laverton?