Page 2503 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Gupta for the question. This government recognises that housing is a human right and that access to housing is fundamental to our rights and our dignity. Public tenants, private tenants and home owners all have a right to fair and secure living conditions. In October last year the Deputy Chief Minister launched the ACT housing strategy, the purpose of which is to promote an equitable, diverse and sustainable supply of housing for Canberra.
The changes to the Residential Tenancies Act this government brought to the Assembly support fair housing for renters. The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2019, which will commence later this calendar year, makes renting fairer by recognising the importance and value of pets, recognising basic rights to settle into a home through modifications, and ensuring a fair balance of rights between tenants and landlords for ending leases and changes to rental rates.
The government’s legislation reflects the changing nature of renting in our city and our commitment to ensuring that tenants are well protected. The private rental sector is no longer a stopgap just for young people who go on to buy their first homes; there are more private renters at midlife and more private renters are families with children. There are also more long-term renters in the sector who rent properties for more than 10 years and do so deliberately as a choice of way of life. The legislative changes that this government has developed reflect our commitment to make Canberra a liveable, secure city for this whole community.
MR GUPTA: Minister, what steps did the government take to ensure that the community was properly consulted in developing these reforms?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Gupta for the supplementary question. The government’s policy on residential tenancies is the product of very thorough consultation. Members will have heard me say this before: good policy comes from good listening. This government’s program of reviewing and reforming laws for renters is focused on vulnerable people first. That is why, after speaking with Canberra Community Law and the Tenants’ Union, we introduced legislation to improve the way that unpaid rent disputes operate.
Those changes gave tenants a fair opportunity to argue their circumstances before the tribunal and at the same time reduced complexity for landlords who are seeking to recover unpaid rent. By listening to the people who were most experienced in representing both tenants and landlords in these disputes, we were able to deliver tangible improvements.
In delivering our most recent legislative reforms, we listened to the views of tenants who participated in the development of the ACT housing strategy. We also spoke to renters’ rights advocates, including the Tenants’ Union, and we spoke to the Real Estate Institute ACT. The review of the Residential Tenancies Act that was produced in 2016 also contained a wealth of information that came from roundtable discussions and direct engagement with the community.
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