Mr BAYLEY (Clark) – Chair, a home is not just a basic need, it is a fundamental human right that is our responsibility as legislators to meet, and the Liberals’ obligation as a government to support.
In the dual cost‑of‑living and housing crises, finding an affordable home is getting harder, and for some people it is impossible. As the crisis has worsened, the Liberals have sat on their hands for years now, pretending to care, feigning action, but doing precious little to do anything meaningful about it.
New data released just this week from SGS Economics & Planning and National Shelter shows that rents already at record highs, are continuing to rise. In Nipaluna/Hobart, 39 per cent are out of reach for the average income for rental households. The average income is not JobSeeker or the pension. For Hobart, the average income is $91,000. That is more than some of our own staff are earning. 39 per cent of rentals are out of reach and that is on the up. It has risen from 8 per cent just four years ago. Rent has also risen in most of the major suburbs, with rents becoming unaffordable in Brighton, Taroona, Huonville, Kingston, Old Beach, Bellerive, and Midway Point. In the region, 17 per cent of rentals are unaffordable, compared to 0 per cent four years ago.
As promised when they went to the election, the Liberals should be building more new social and affordable homes. To quote from the so‑called Strong Plan, ‘Quick facts: 10,000 new social and affordable homes by 2032′. We know in reality they are fudging the numbers. Instead of new homes, they are counting crisis accommodation, vacant blocks, rental assistance and affordable purchases towards targets. In a housing supply crisis, we need new homes, as promised.
We need to stop the bleeding. Whole home rentals are being converted to short‑stay hotels and this needs to be reined in. Instead, together with Labor, the Liberals refuse to act. They have not even imposed the 5 per cent levy that was promised at the last election. Meanwhile, the CBOS data shows a 4.6 per cent increase in the number of whole homes listed as short‑stay Airbnb in the most recent reporting period. There are 7630 short‑stays in Tasmania, almost 50 per cent of which are whole homes that could be in the long‑term rental market.
We have some of the weakest rental protection laws in the country, but yet again the Liberals have failed to take any significant action. Renters can be evicted unfairly, rents can be jacked up unreasonably and minimum standards are missing, impacting on quality of life and the size of power bills.
On pets in rentals, it was great to see some progress recently with the rights of renters to have a pet in their home finally passing this House. Pets are part of the family, and renters should not have to choose between a roof over their head and their family pet. Let us not forget that this would never have happened without pressure from community advocates and the Greens. On behalf of the Greens, I pass on my thanks and congratulations to the Tenants Union, Shelter Tas, the RSPCA, the Dogs’ Home, Ten Lives Cat Centre and others. Collectively, we finally forced the Liberals to commit to a policy to give renters the right to have a pet before the last election, and thankfully that has come to pass.
What was disappointing was the major parties once again teaming up to deny renters the right to make minor modifications to their homes. The pets bill had a section introducing a provision allowing tenants to fix toppling furniture, making homes safer. This opened the opportunity for broader amendments to improve tenants’ lives. Our amendments would have empowered tenants to make potentially life‑changing modifications, including disability access, safety, security or telecommunications modifications like hand rails in showers, security cameras and safety screens. Labor again sided with the Liberals to vote these down.
Unlike them, we will not stop fighting to give renters real rights. That is why we have tabled a bill to end unfair no‑cause evictions. Renters should not have to give up their homes without a fair, legitimate reason, but currently Tasmanians can be kicked out of their rentals for no other reason than their lease ending, so that rents can be jacked up or maintenance avoided. Often renters are too scared to ask for their mouldy carpet to be replaced or their dodgy heater to be serviced in case their landlord kicks them out.
Our changes would bring this state into line with the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, which have all ended unfair no‑cause evictions. Both the Tasmanian Liberals and federal Labor committed to ending no‑cause evictions in the Better Deal for Renters, a policy state Labor echoed during the last election. We hope the major parties live up to their promises this time and support our move to give renters real rights by ending no‑cause evictions.
