With Tasmanians doing it tough as the cost of living rises, immediate action is needed help Tasmanians struggling to pay the rent. The Greens call on the Liberal Government to freeze rents and stop no cause evictions during this crisis.
Tasmanians were already doing it tough in the cost of living crisis. The conflict in the Middle East driving up fuel prices has only made things worse.
The Greens welcomed the government taking up our calls for free public transport and an emergency injection of funding for the community sector. But so many Tasmanians are at breaking point. They need more support.
The cost of living crisis has got so bad that some people are struggling to pay their rent. They just can’t afford more increases. And they certainly shouldn’t be unfairly evicted from their home.
This state has some of the weakest protections for renters in the country. While it’s welcome the government are reviewing our tenancy laws, any change won’t come for months.
In the meantime, Tasmanians remain vulnerable to unreasonable rent increases and evictions without fair cause. Regardless of the government’s view on a permanent policy change, they must recognise the need to respond to the crisis.
The crisis we’re in requires action now. Freezing rents and stopping unfair evictions are important measures that the state government could take that will make a real difference to many thousands of people. Premier Rockliff needs to take a leaf out of his predecessor’s book by prioritising struggling Tasmanian renters in these difficult times.
It was good to hear both the Premier and Minister for Housing engaging with our questions about protections for renters, and it’s encouraging they haven’t ruled out taking action. We’ll now seek to engage with them, and urge them to listen stakeholders and the community about steps to give struggling renters the rights they need during this crisis.
