Additional Comments from Labor Senators

1.1Labor Senators support the report and associated recommendations and thank everyone who has given evidence to the inquiry so far, particularly those with, or advocating on behalf of those with, lived experience. The significant housing challenges, especially for renters, facing those we heard from during this inquiry, and those we have heard from in our communities, deserve significant policy focus. Safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians and will always be a priority of a Labor government.

1.2Labor Senators note that many of the issues discussed in the report remain the responsibility of the states and territories. However, the Albanese Government continues to work with state, territory and local governments to deliver better housing outcomes for Australians who are doing it tough, especially renters.

1.3Additionally, the Albanese Government has committed to an ambitious housing reform agenda which will boost the supply of all housing – more public and social housing, more affordable housing, more homes to rent and more homes to buy. Improving supply is critical to delivering more affordable housing. This work has been outlined below.

Better Deal for Renters

1.4At National Cabinet in August this year the Commonwealth, state and territory governments committed to ‘A Better Deal for Renters’ to harmonise and strengthen renters’ rights across Australia.

1.5This encompassed developing a nationally consistent framework including a requirement for genuine reasonable grounds for eviction, moving towards limiting rental increases to once a year and phasing in minimum rental standards.

1.6The full scope of measures agreed to be progressed by the states and territories at this meeting were to:

develop a nationally consistent policy to implement a requirement for genuine reasonable grounds for eviction, having consideration to the current actions of some jurisdictions;

ensure provisions to allow appeals against retaliatory eviction notices are fit for purpose (e.g. evictions motivated by tenants taking reasonable action to secure or enforce legal rights, complain or disclose information about their tenancy);

move towards a national standard of no more than one rent increase per year for a tenant in the same property across fixed and ongoing agreements;

implement a ban on soliciting rent bidding;

allow tenants experiencing domestic or family violence to:

end agreements without penalty and with a streamlined process and evidence e.g. a declaration by a prescribed professional such as a doctor or support service worker;

change the locks and make security improvements without the landlord’s permission;

have their name removed from databases due to property damage caused by family or domestic violence; and

with jurisdictions to consider further action to protect tenants who are victim survivors of domestic or family violence e.g. the ability to apply to have the perpetrator removed from the tenancy.

limit break lease fees for fixed term agreements to a maximum prescribed amount which declines according to how much of the lease has expired (e.g. a maximum of four weeks’ rent if less than 25 per cent of the fixed term has expired);

make rental applications easier and protect renters’ personal information:

prescribe a rental application form in each jurisdiction, with required documents limited to two in each of the following categories: identity, financial ability to pay rent, suitability;

require the destruction of renters’ personal information three years after a tenancy ends and three months after tenancy begins for an unsuccessful applicant;

require tenants’ personal information to be provided and corrected within 30 days of a request by a tenant or prospective tenant; and

specify information not allowed to be collected from a tenant or more generally (e.g. disputes with landlords).

consider options for better regulation of short-stay residential accommodation; and

phase in minimum quality standards for rental properties (e.g. stovetop in good working order, hot and cold running water).

1.7These significant changes will make a tangible impact for the almost one-third of Australian households who rent.

Additional Support for Housing

1.8In addition to reforms to support renters’ rights, there is additional work being delivered through National Cabinet to provide more secure and affordable rental housing supply. Significant measures include:

the National Housing Accord that will support planning and zoning reforms, as well as investing $350 million in additional federal funding to deliver 10,000 affordable rental homes over five years from 2024 – matched by the state and territories;

federal funding of $2 billion through the Social Housing Accelerator to deliver thousands of social rental homes across Australia;

federal funding of $3 billion through the New Homes Bonus to help incentivise states and territories to build more homes where people need them to meet a new national target of 1.2 million new homes over five years;

a $500 million Housing Support Program for initiatives to help kick start housing supply including connecting essential services, amenities to support new housing development or building planning capability; and

a National Planning Reform Blueprint with planning, zoning, land release and other measures to improve housing supply and affordability.

1.9These measures are in addition to work already underway, including:

the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund to support 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes over its first five years has now passed the Parliament;

the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF) has been expanded making up to $575 million available to invest in social and affordable rental homes, with projects already under construction as a result of this funding. The NHIF will also receive an additional $1 billion in federal funding to support more social housing;

the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation’s liability cap has been increased by $2 billion to provide lower cost and longer-term finance to community housing providers through the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator;

Commonwealth Rent Assistance has been increased for the first time in more than 30 years, with a 15 per cent increase in the maximum rate;

tax incentives have been provided to encourage more build-to-rent developments to boost new supply in the private rental market; and

federal funding of $1.7 billion has been provided for a one-year extension of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement with States and Territories, including a $67.5 million boost to homelessness funding over the next year.

1.10The consequences of the previous government’s decade of delay and failure to adequately invest in affordable housing have led to significant challenges across the country. The Albanese Government is committed to supporting Australians doing it tough and will continue to deliver our important reforms designed to make a meaningful impact on the availability of affordable housing in Australia. These are evidence-based reforms backed by some of the most significant investments in housing in a generation.

1.11Labor Senators urge all levels of government to continue to strengthen support for Australians in accessing affordable housing, especially renters.

Senator Marielle SmithSenator Louise Pratt