Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:45): In the past, many Australians viewed renting as a temporary step between moving out of the family home and into home ownership. But today, with skyrocketing house prices, stagnant wages and a lack of housing supply, more people are renting than ever before. In Victoria alone almost a third of households are renting. If nothing changes, many of these households will be renting for life. Earlier this year I visited Tenants Victoria, where I had the pleasure of meeting with CEO Jennifer Beveridge and the team there, and the dedicated team work on policy, advocacy and law. I also got the experience of seeing some of the calls that the team received and the volume of information that they have to share and the volume of calls that do come through. Those calls highlighted the insecurities that tenants often face. The power imbalance between them and landlords discourages self-advocacy, for fear of retaliation. In the past year alone Tenants Victoria has assisted nearly 10,000 people via this phone line, but with almost 2 million renters statewide, countless others were left without support. To meet this urgent need, greater funding is essential. I am really grateful to Tenants Victoria for taking me through their office. The incredible work that they do is crucial in shaping the future of all Victorians and Victorian renters.