All I want for Christmas are renters’ rights

Words By Senator Steph Hodgins-May and Katherine Copsey MP

Everyone deserves a secure home. Yet, as we prepare to celebrate the holiday season, thousands of people in our southside community are grappling with the grim reality of a severe housing crisis with no immediate end in sight.

If you are struggling to pay rent, are anxious about your next rent increase, or can’t find a rental – you are not alone.

The numbers don’t lie. Over the next decade, Labor and the Liberals plan to hand out $176 billion in tax breaks to wealthy property investors through negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions.

These policies funnel money away from ordinary people and into the pockets of those who own multiple properties, shutting out renters and first-home buyers from ever getting a fair chance.

If we want real change, we can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result. That’s why the Greens are stepping up with a plan to tackle the housing crisis at the scale it demands.

This year, the Greens secured $3 billion in direct funding for public and affordable housing-an essential start. But this is just the beginning of our fight to ensure that everyone has a safe and secure roof over their heads.

Australia’s present housing market

Whether it’s debating about asking for basic repairs, worrying about an unfair rent hike, or fearing that their lease won’t be renewed, renters are left to deal with constant insecurity. Many have faced losing their bond unfairly or being pushed out of their homes with little notice.

These aren’t isolated experiences - they’re the direct result of a system stacked against renters and designed to protect the interests of wealthy property investors.

Every renter knows the feeling of powerlessness that comes with navigating a broken rental system.

That’s why the Greens are calling for the establishment of a National Renters Protection Authority (NRPA) to stand up for renters and defend their rights. This independent body would have the power to investigate breaches of rental laws, issue substantial fines to dodgy real estate agents, and offer advocacy, advice, and education for renters across the country.

The NRPA would also help enforce new national tenancy standards by distributing $2.5 billion annually to states and territories that adopt stronger rental protections.

These could include freezing and capping rent increases, guaranteeing five-year leases, ensuring lease renewal rights, and implementing minimum standards for heating, cooling, insulation, and ventilation.

In Victoria, the government has recently introduced reforms that will ban rental bidding and no-grounds evictions after pressure from the Greens forced them to act. This is an important step forward, but it falls well short of what we really need.

As long as unlimited rent increases are still legal, renters can still effectively be forced out of their homes through an unfair rent rise - a massive and unaffordable rent increase is essentially a no-grounds eviction.

This Christmas let’s dream of more than presents under the tree.

Let’s fight for a future where everyone has a secure, affordable home. Renters deserve better-and with the Greens’ vision, change is possible. •