Thursday, 2 May 2024

Ministers statements: rental reform

Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Government Services, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Public and Active Transport) (14:23): Speaker, you will be pleased that I am giving the heavy breathing a miss. I rise to update the house on the strong track record of the Allan Labor government in supporting Victorian renters. We have already delivered over 130 reforms to make renting fairer and safer, from making it easier for renters to reclaim their bonds to allowing for those minor flourishes that make a house feel like home. When those opposite had the chance to support this landmark package of protections for renters, they voted against new minimum standards, including hot and cold water and permanent heating that actually works, they voted against the right to have pets and they voted against limits on bond amounts. Shameful.

But our reforms do not stop there. Our housing statement will build on these nation-leading protections by restricting rent increases between successive fixed-term agreements and by making rental applications simpler and easier, and we will also ban rental bidding for good. While we are there we are going to introduce a portable bond scheme and we are going to establish Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria as a faster, fairer and cheaper alternative to VCAT. On top of this, our housing statement will address the supply issues that we know drive rents up. We know that those opposite only see renters as a meal ticket, and those from the Greens political party are not much better, constantly voting against housing for our most vulnerable. Even their own councils are jumping ship. On this side of the chamber we are not about the fight, we are all about the fix. Only the Allan Labor government will deliver on our ambitious reform agenda that will see more Victorian renters safe, supported and able to make their house a home.