Dr JOE McGIRR (Wagga Wagga) (13:26): My question is directed to the Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading. In August this year the National Cabinet met and agreed to implement a better deal for renters to harmonise and strengthen renter's rights across Australia. What consideration has there been to obtain a fair balance between the rights of landlords, of whom the majority are small-time mum and dad investors, and the rights of renters and what consultation with industry has the Government undertaken?
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (13:26): I thank my good friend the member for Wagga Wagga for his question. I am pleased with his interest in this important work to support renters and the rental market. As anyone who has visited Wagga Wagga would know, the good member is a man of great standing in his community because of his great work and strong advocacy for the great Riverina community. I thank also our friends on the crossbench for the way they have engaged with the Government on this important piece of reform to help renters. I was waiting for the Opposition to ask because I am excited about the big reform to policy in this sector. Unfortunately—like the Matildas' shootout against Les Bleus, when we were all silent and waiting—you could hair a pin drop from the other side when it comes to ideas about making our rental system fairer.
The Government has made no secret of what we need to do to rebalance the equation and to deliver a more modern and fairer rental market. We have already moved to ban unsolicited rent bidding and we are also developing a portable bonds scheme, which will make a huge difference to renters in a tough rental market. I thank the member for Wagga Wagga and the member for Sydney for their constructive approach to these reforms. But we are not finished yet. Change is necessary because the world has certainly changed. For many people in this State, renting is now the new normal. For many people in this State, it is really tough going at the moment. Across the Riverina, more than 17,000 people received rental assistance in 2021. Around 25 per cent of those renters are experiencing some rental stress.
The Government understands that the rental market is complex. It requires a balanced, measured and methodical approach to induce long-term structural changes that will make things easier and better for renters and the rental market. That is why we are consulting widely with the industry on the much-needed changes to modernise our rental reform regime. We welcome the move by the Federal Government to make this a national priority, because it is certainly a priority for us. The Government has a fundamental belief that good property owners need good renters and good renters need good property owners. It is a balanced equation between those two important factors. We do not need to demonise one against the other. A balanced approach can be reached, and I am confident that we can get there with good consultation. They both need a set of rules to engage in good faith and work together. It is a balanced and fair approach to deliver a much better outcome. [Extension of time]
Of the more than 150 consultation processes run through the Have Your Say platform, this has been one of the most visited. More than 47,000 owners, agents and members of the public took the time to review the Government's plan for a fairer and more modern rental system. Approximately 16,000 people took the time to complete the survey, and more than 400 took the time to write and upload a submission. That says a lot about how important the policy reform is. More importantly, those submissions represent a diverse group of contributors. Around 9,000 of those were from renters and more than 5,500 were property owners who took the time to give their feedback. That is an incredible response, and it will help the Government to deliver a balanced and fair reform outcome.
The Government is not letting that momentum slip away. The NSW Rental Commissioner and the team at NSW Fair Trading are working through the submissions as we speak. I want to be very clear to members opposite that the State's first ever Rental Commissioner, Ms Trina Jones, will play a critical role in this work. I take extra care to make that point because I noticed the member for Willoughby had some questions about her appointment. Here is a tip: You do not gazette those sorts of senior public service roles at all. Instead of spending their days hunched over theGovernment Gazette, I urge members of the Opposition to get out and listen to the people of New South Wales and industry stakeholders to make sure we get the balance right. I know that my colleagues the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and the Minister for Housing are working hard to drive new supply into the right places to ensure the Government continues to put downward pressure on the market. This is an important piece of reform. The Government is working hard and consulting widely to ensure that it gets a better outcome for renters and the rental market.
