Tuesday, 18 June 2024

 Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Government Services, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Public and Active Transport) (14:20): I rise to update the house on the work that the Allan Labor government are doing to make rental homes safer for Victorian families. We know that more Victorians are renting than ever before, and while we have the strongest rental protections in the country, we also know that there is more that we can do. That is why earlier this month I was very proud to stand with my good friend the Minister for Energy and Resources to launch consultation for the proposed new minimum energy efficiency and safety standards. The minister just updated the house about how these standards would make rentals more comfortable, how they would reduce emissions and slash power bills for renters, and a number of other things, but what I am here to talk about today is how these new standards will also make rental homes safer for children.

These proposed changes will mean that every single rental home across Victoria will need to have blind cord anchors installed to prevent the tragic death of children as a consequence of strangulation. There will be no exceptions to this standard, and rightly so, because in Victoria children’s safety is non-negotiable and blind cord anchors are a very simple solution that, quite frankly, saves lives. Victorians can already access free blind cord safety kits from Consumer Affairs Victoria, and under our 2021 rental reforms, renters do not actually need to seek permission from their rental provider to install these life-saving devices. These changes will be backed in by our new renting taskforce, which will crack down on dodgy rentals, enforcing compliance with minimum standards, as well as ensuring that rental providers advertise accurately, and our new online reporting form will allow prospective renters to easily report potential breaches directly to Consumer Affairs Victoria. On this side of the house we are committed to keeping renters safe, and we have a strong track record to that end.