Tuesday, 16 May 2023

Brunswick electorate

Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:47): (146) My constituency question is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs. Rental vacancy rates are at an all-time low in Victoria, and some landlords are exploiting the situation by jacking up the rents to the point where some of my constituents are genuinely concerned that they may not be able to afford somewhere to live. But in my electorate there are more places listed for short-stay tourist accommodation as Airbnbs than there are places listed for rent, and some of these short-stay accommodations can sit idle for long periods, such that some cities around the world are now regulating short-stay accommodation to ensure an adequate supply of rental properties. So the question for the Minister for Consumer Affairs is: will the government now regulate short-stay accommodation so that my constituents can have somewhere to live and so that we can free up some these properties?