Thursday, 21 March 2024

Bills

Estate Agents, Residential Tenancies and Other Acts Amendment (Funding) Bill 2024

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Gabrielle Williams:

That this bill be now read a second time.

And Tim McCurdy’s amendment:

That all the words after ‘That’ be omitted and replaced with the words ‘this house refuses to read this bill a second time until the government provides:

(1) proof that tenants and rental providers will not be disadvantaged by the bill;

(2) more information about how the Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) will work;

(3) a breakdown of costings and how the RDRV will be funded;

(4) advice on the timeline of when each stage of establishing the RDRV will be reached and for full operations;

(5) details on how the minister intends to seek advice in the absence of the Estate Agents Council (EAC) and Public Records Advisory Council (PRAC); and

(6) details on what bodies will replace the EAC and PRAC, including plans for appointments, remuneration, and public information about those bodies.’

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (12:56): The government’s changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 have failed to achieve their goals. They have not improved the rental market for renters. Rents have increased. There is less rental stock available. Landlords are exiting the market in Victoria. This, together with the last decade of underinvestment by this government in social housing leaves, the state of Victoria with a housing crisis.

I have highlighted the situation before of Doug Bowen in the Parliament. He is a single father with two children under the age of eight, one of whom is in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy. They have been on the waiting list for social housing for four years. I recently had a government department briefing which informed me that there is no available housing for Doug. They say nothing has been built in Warrnambool to suit their needs. They said the property at 7 Crawley Street, which I highlighted as an empty Department of Families, Fairness and Housing government-owned home, was going to be disposed of. So after four years and supposedly investing $67 million in Warrnambool, the department informs me there is nothing for a family with a child in a wheelchair. They could not even say when a house would be available, so there was no hope, no timelines, nothing. Under this current government, Doug is living on the charitable goodwill of our community. I do want to thank a family who have stepped up and given Doug a place to say, but a temporary solution is not the one that we need.

The government have a responsibility to Doug, and I will not let them get away with their responsibilities not being met. For Doug to be advised by the department that he should get a rental property just shows how much the government is completely out of touch. Locally the average price of rental properties is $500 a week. How can anyone afford that? And do not be fooled that rent assistance and the other help would help long term; it would not. It would not even put a dent in the budget challenge that the family would be in if they took a rental property. To say there are no properties available in government stock that are suitable for a wheelchair but ‘Go and rent something’ that is still not suitable for a wheelchair just demonstrates how out of touch this government is to a vulnerable family like Doug’s, who the system should be helping. That is why we have a system – for that exact family that suits that system and needs to be in a public housing house. The government needs to step up, and I will not let this go. They will find Doug a house, because he needs one.

Matt FREGON (Ashwood) (12:59): It is my pleasure to rise on the Estate Agents, Residential Tenancies and Other Acts Amendment (Funding) Bill 2024. I am really happy to rise on this, because I think the main point of this bill is to fund alternative dispute resolution in regard to rental disputes. Hopefully after lunch I will get a bit of time to talk about what happens when ADR is not possible. I have a constituent by the name of John who is currently going through a bit of a problem with Mercedes, and I will just give the example. I am giving forewarning to Mercedes: you have got an hour to maybe sort it out.

Sitting suspended 1:00 pm until 2:02 pm.

Business interrupted under standing orders.