Rental reform
Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:41): My question is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs. Renters in so-called affordable housing in Flemington have been slugged with 17 per cent rent hikes just one year after moving in. Seven years ago the Labor government demolished public housing at this site, replacing it with affordable homes for low-income earners, yet now these rents are higher than private rentals around the corner. Minister, when renters in government-backed affordable housing are being hit with double-digit rent hikes in the first year and say they expect to fight this battle every year because the consortium will always push rents to the maximum, will the minister admit that this is not upholding renters rights?
Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh – Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Local Government) (14:42): I thank the member for Brunswick for his question. That question really should go to the minister for housing in the other place, and I will take that up with the minister for housing. But if I could just talk about what this government is doing to protect renters when it comes to keeping rents low, this government believes that all people, all Victorians –
Ellen Sandell: Speaker, on a point of order, this is actually a question for the Minister for Consumer Affairs because it refers to privately run affordable housing, not government public housing. So it is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs.
Danny Pearson: On the point of order, Speaker, I believe this matter is a matter for the minister for housing, because Living Communities is the PPP that is delivering this project. It is a mix of affordable housing and social housing, and it is a consequence of that contract which was entered into under the ground lease model, and the minister for housing is the responsible minister.
The SPEAKER: The minister who the question has been addressed to has the choice of answering the question in the way he chooses.
Nick STAIKOS: This government, as I said, believes that every Victorian deserves a decent standard of living. That is why those of us on this side of the house have voted for 149 rental reforms while this government has been in power, and one of the most recent of them is the introduction of Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria. RDRV has revolutionised the way in which we resolve disputes between renters and rental providers in this state, and one of the things that RDRV does is consider rent reviews. As a result of this government’s passage of a bill earlier this year, we are expanding the range of factors that can be taken into consideration when conducting a rent review. We are currently going through that process, and I will have more to say about that soon.
But of course we also absolutely want rental properties to be affordable, and the key to affordable housing is to ensure that we increase the supply of housing. That is why this government, through its housing statement, has been doing just that, and I am proud that Victoria approves and completes more homes than New South Wales and more homes than Queensland. When it comes to boosting housing supply, Victoria is leading the nation, and that will be key to ensuring that we have affordable housing and affordable rents.
Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:45): I am grateful to the minister for soldiering on and answering the question. The people living in these homes are low-income renters. In 2022 the government’s own review warned that an independent regulator was needed to stop exactly this kind of thing, but no regulator has been appointed in the three subsequent years. Will the minister now accept that much stronger protections, such as a regulator, are required to prevent this from happening in private rentals?
Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh – Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Local Government) (14:45): I thank the member for Brunswick for the supplementary question. In Victoria, as Minister for Consumer Affairs, I am also very fortunate to work with the commissioner for residential tenancies Heather Holst. It is the commissioner’s role to provide advice to me and to the government on matters concerning residential tenancies. But I would just repeat: this government on this side of the house has passed 149 rental reforms. Each of those 149 rental reforms is about improving the way of life, the way of living and the standard of living for renters in this state. We make no apology for that, and we are not going to stop there. This year we introduced RDRV. I should also mention next year we are introducing a portable rental bond scheme, and that portable rental bond scheme is a cost-of-living measure for renters, because no longer will renters have to fork out – (Time expired)