ACT Labor and the Canberra Liberals have today voted against measures to address the inequality crisis. They've said no to freezing rents for the next two years and rejected moves to strengthen other protections for renters.
"The ACT Greens want to make life easier for renters and brought forward legislation with a range of measures to do just that. But Labor and the Liberals have rejected every single element," said Jo Clay, Greens MLA for Ginninderra who introduced the bill.
"The ACT Greens' legislation would have imposed a 2-year freeze on rent, followed by simpler rent caps. We also proposed a ban on rent bidding to make sure rents aren't forced to pay more than what the rental is advertised for. We further proposed linking rent increases to a property, not a person - so if the renter moves out, the landlord can put up the price as high as they like.
"Neither party considered any of these measures on their merits and simply voted the whole package down. It is clear that the old parties simply do not care about renters or at the very least, have their head in the sand about just how hard it is for renters right now.
"The private market is making it impossible for most Canberrans to own a home. And now we're not even engaging in serious debate about how to support and protect renters.
"Renters are in crisis. In simply dismissing the bill, Labor and the Liberals have shown they are more interested in the bottom line of investor landlords than keeping a roof over renters' heads.
"I'm glad we have some rent controls and protections already in place. We're the only jurisdiction in Australia with these protections. But with essential workers spending an average of 76% of their wages on rent, it's clear we need to go further. But the old parties have today shown that they're fine with the status quo and forcing even more people into housing stress."
