❓ The Minister outlines the Cook Labor government's reforms to support WA renters, including extending the rent relief program, amending the Residential Tenancies Act to remove no-ground terminations, restricting information landlords can request, and regulating boarders and lodgers.
AnsweredQoN 224Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Housing—Rental reform
224. Mr Geoff Baker to
the Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home. Can
the minister please outline to the house how the Cook Labor government is
delivering reforms to support Western Australian renters?
224. Mr Geoff Baker to
the Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home. Can
the minister please outline to the house how the Cook Labor government is
delivering reforms to support Western Australian renters?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for South Perth for the question and for his interest in housing and rental
security in Western Australia. I am surprised that the opposition was asleep
there.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Barleys! Barleys!
Dr Tony Buti: Barleys! Barleys!
It was great to join
the Premier and the housing minister at Vinnies yesterday to make some
important announcements. I saw a great photograph of the member for Carine
smiling. I think it was taken last year on his 18th birthday. It was a
beautiful photograph.
Several members
interjected.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: When was yours taken? On
your 70th?
Dr Tony Buti: Ageism!
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Do not play the ageism game!
The Speaker: Members! Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, seriously,
enough. Thank you.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Paul Papalia: When was the last marathon the
member for Central Wheatbelt ran?
The Speaker: Minister! Members! Carry on, minister.
Dr Tony Buti: We were there to announce some very
important reforms. The Premier has already, in his first answer, talked about
some of those announcements. The extension of the rent relief program is really
important. It has been so successful. We have spent over $18.9 million. Over
4,000 households in Western Australia are recipients. Over 90% of those
recipients have stayed in that household six months after receiving the scheme
grant, which includes financial counselling. It is not only a payout of money
up to $5,000, but it also helps them manage their household budgets. It is a really
important scheme.
Then we made some
important announcements about reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).
They are really important, and it will be interesting to see where the
opposition sits on this. Members opposite come into this house day in, day out
talking about the need to provide housing security and cost-of-living relief
measures, so when the bill comes to this place after extensive consultation, it
will be interesting to see where they sit on this. I think that the member for
Roe made some jovial comments yesterday at another forum we were at. It will be
interesting to see whether the member for Roe and his colleagues, including the
Liberal Party opposition, will support these measures. One of the more
important measures is removing no-ground terminations. At the moment, we are
the only jurisdiction apart from the Northern Territory in which a landlord
does not need a reason to bring a lease to an end. At the moment, when a lease
comes to the end of its term, a landlord can chuck out a tenant. We are
removing that, but I want to make it clear that there will still be grounds for
a landlord to remove a tenant for legitimate reasons. We are increasing the
grounds that will allow a legitimate termination of the lease. That is really
important, because this is a commonsense approach to modernise residential laws
in Western Australia and provide a greater balance between landlords and
tenants.
In addition to
removing no-ground terminations but increasing the grounds that will allow
legitimate reasons to terminate a tenancy, we are also restricting the
information that a landlord can ask a tenant to provide. Tenants are sometimes being
asked to provide irrelevant and very personal information that the landlord does
not need. We are also restricting the ability to disclose that information to a
third party. We are also going to make clearer what information a tenant needs
to provide to a landlord if they want to bring the lease to a premature
termination. We are also going to remove the cost that is imposed on renters
now in regard to paying their rent. At the moment, tenants have to pay
additional fees in order to pay their rent. That cost will be removed. We are
also going to be regulating boarders and lodgers,
which is incredibly important reform, and the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia
is very supportive of that.
These are really
important reforms. They are so important that we will continue to engage in
very important consultation with various stakeholders. We will seek to bring
the legislation into this place as soon as we possibly can, but the questions
for the opposition—the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the National
Party and the shadow Treasurer—will be: Do they support important reforms that
go towards providing security for tenants? Will they support the measure that
will be announced in the budget on Thursday to extend the rent relief by $13.5 million
for the next 12 months? We will see where they stand on Thursday.
for South Perth for the question and for his interest in housing and rental
security in Western Australia. I am surprised that the opposition was asleep
there.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Barleys! Barleys!
Dr Tony Buti: Barleys! Barleys!
It was great to join
the Premier and the housing minister at Vinnies yesterday to make some
important announcements. I saw a great photograph of the member for Carine
smiling. I think it was taken last year on his 18th birthday. It was a
beautiful photograph.
Several members
interjected.
Mr Lachlan Hunter: When was yours taken? On
your 70th?
Dr Tony Buti: Ageism!
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Do not play the ageism game!
The Speaker: Members! Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt, seriously,
enough. Thank you.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Paul Papalia: When was the last marathon the
member for Central Wheatbelt ran?
The Speaker: Minister! Members! Carry on, minister.
Dr Tony Buti: We were there to announce some very
important reforms. The Premier has already, in his first answer, talked about
some of those announcements. The extension of the rent relief program is really
important. It has been so successful. We have spent over $18.9 million. Over
4,000 households in Western Australia are recipients. Over 90% of those
recipients have stayed in that household six months after receiving the scheme
grant, which includes financial counselling. It is not only a payout of money
up to $5,000, but it also helps them manage their household budgets. It is a really
important scheme.
Then we made some
important announcements about reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).
They are really important, and it will be interesting to see where the
opposition sits on this. Members opposite come into this house day in, day out
talking about the need to provide housing security and cost-of-living relief
measures, so when the bill comes to this place after extensive consultation, it
will be interesting to see where they sit on this. I think that the member for
Roe made some jovial comments yesterday at another forum we were at. It will be
interesting to see whether the member for Roe and his colleagues, including the
Liberal Party opposition, will support these measures. One of the more
important measures is removing no-ground terminations. At the moment, we are
the only jurisdiction apart from the Northern Territory in which a landlord
does not need a reason to bring a lease to an end. At the moment, when a lease
comes to the end of its term, a landlord can chuck out a tenant. We are
removing that, but I want to make it clear that there will still be grounds for
a landlord to remove a tenant for legitimate reasons. We are increasing the
grounds that will allow a legitimate termination of the lease. That is really
important, because this is a commonsense approach to modernise residential laws
in Western Australia and provide a greater balance between landlords and
tenants.
In addition to
removing no-ground terminations but increasing the grounds that will allow
legitimate reasons to terminate a tenancy, we are also restricting the
information that a landlord can ask a tenant to provide. Tenants are sometimes being
asked to provide irrelevant and very personal information that the landlord does
not need. We are also restricting the ability to disclose that information to a
third party. We are also going to make clearer what information a tenant needs
to provide to a landlord if they want to bring the lease to a premature
termination. We are also going to remove the cost that is imposed on renters
now in regard to paying their rent. At the moment, tenants have to pay
additional fees in order to pay their rent. That cost will be removed. We are
also going to be regulating boarders and lodgers,
which is incredibly important reform, and the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia
is very supportive of that.
These are really
important reforms. They are so important that we will continue to engage in
very important consultation with various stakeholders. We will seek to bring
the legislation into this place as soon as we possibly can, but the questions
for the opposition—the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the National
Party and the shadow Treasurer—will be: Do they support important reforms that
go towards providing security for tenants? Will they support the measure that
will be announced in the budget on Thursday to extend the rent relief by $13.5 million
for the next 12 months? We will see where they stand on Thursday.
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