MEDIA RELEASE: Greens call for limits on temporary accommodation to be scrapped entirely
The Greens are calling on the NSW Labor Government to go further than their announced extension of temporary accommodation from 2 days to 7 days, and remove the cap entirely, to keep people safe and work towards ending homelessness. Jenny Leong, Member for Newtown and Greens Spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness said: “The Greens are calling for the limit on temporary accommodation to be scrapped, it would be near impossible for anyone to find long-term, secure housing in just 7 days - let alone people experiencing crisis. “Extending the limit on temporary accommodation by just 5 days when the public housing waiting list in some areas is 10+ years, there is a dire shortage of transitional housing options, and affordable rentals in the private housing market are non-existent, is not enough. “Any limit on temporary accommodation fails to put vulnerable people’s needs first - it is not a stable solution and means too many people will be forced back into unsafe situations. “The limits on temporary accommodation need to be scrapped entirely, alongside a massive investment in specialist support services, so we can move to a Housing First approach in NSW that will end homelessness and keep people safe. “Temporary accommodation should only end when someone is at the point of securing safe, affordable, ongoing housing.” Abigail Boyd, Greens Spokesperson for Gendered Violence and Abuse said: “We are in the middle of a housing and cost of living crisis. It’s almost impossible to find permanent accommodation, be approved and move somewhere within a week. It’s not just an unrealistic expectation, it's a dangerous one. “Limiting crisis accommodation is one of the largest obstacles to escaping violence. The 7-day period is still 3 weeks short of the period that experts in the DFV sector have been calling for as their minimum ask, for years now. “This government is still asking victim-survivors, at a time when we know they are at the most risk of harm, to scramble to secure accommodation within a week. "We had expected this new Labor government to make tackling the domestic violence crisis in our state a far higher priority. They know the stories, they know the evidence, it's time they act on it.”
MEDIA RELEASE: Renters in NSW need a rent freeze while reforms are being considered
The Greens welcome indications that the NSW Labor Government will consider action on excessive rent increases, but a consultation paper won’t pay the rent. Renters need a freeze on rent increases while this longer-term reform is implemented. Commenting on the NSW Labor Government’s rental reform consultation paper released today, Jenny Leong Member for Newtown and Greens NSW Spokesperson for Renters’ Rights and Housing said: “The Greens welcome that the NSW Labor Government is coming to the table with reforms to make renting more affordable and secure - reforms that the Greens have been pushing on for years. “The Greens and renters are ready to fight the powerful real estate and developer lobby that will no doubt be ready to stop reforms from undermining their profits. “Ending unfair, no grounds evictions and allowing pets in rentals are long-overdue reforms that would give renters desperately needed security. “But we need to ensure that no-grounds evictions are ended for all renters on all leases - including renters at the end of a fixed term lease. “Any action on excessive rent increases need to include longer-term rent controls to ensure we are bringing down the record-high rent costs and actually making renting affordable. “Dealing with rent increases isn’t a data or information sharing exercise - renters know when their rent increase is excessive, what they need is clear limits on what a rent increase can be. “The Greens want to make unlimited rent increases illegal, establish rent caps, and put hard limits on the amount and frequency of rent increases. “But a consultation paper won’t pay the rent and renters are in crisis right now. We need to freeze rent increases for as long as these reforms take to be considered. “The Greens Emergency Rent Freeze Bill is before NSW Parliament right now - we could have this in place within the month if the NSW Labor Government backed it in. “Across the country the Greens are standing with renters and pushing state and federal governments to go further and faster on rental reform. “With rent caps now being seriously considered in NSW, a rent freeze not ruled out in Victoria yesterday, and renter’s rights pushed onto the national cabinet agenda - it’s clear a rent freeze is possible. ”
MEDIA RELEASE: Anti-Discrimination Reforms Prioritise Religious Protections
Commenting on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Vilification) Bill introduced today by the NSW Labor Government, Jenny Leong Member for Newtown and Greens NSW Spokesperson for Anti-Discrimination said: “The NSW Anti-Discrimination Act needs a full and independent review. It does not need another ad hoc addition that inserts broad ‘religious vilification’ provisions without other protections or amends. “Right now we are seeing a disturbing increase of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and aggression online and on the streets. “But instead of prioritising protections against discrimination and vilification for the LGBTQIA+ community and sex workers - the amendment introduced today only inserts broad religious protections in the Anti-Discrimination Act. “We should be amending the Anti-Discrimination Act to remove exemptions that allow religious organisations and small businesses to discriminate. “Under this bill, the NSW Labor Government will further embolden conservative religious organisations, groups and commentators by introducing broad protections for “religious activity” - which is not clearly defined. “This legislation also fails to define religious belief and does not limit discrimination to ‘natural persons’. “The Greens will work with Anti-Discrimination experts and LGBTQIA+ activists on this bill and continue to push for an overhaul of the Anti-Discrimination Act to ensure comprehensive protections for the LGBTQIA+ community and sex workers.”
MEDIA RELEASE: Developer incentives fail to address root cause of housing crisis
Commenting on the Minns Labor Government’s major planning and housing announcement today, the Greens are calling for a minimum 30% affordable housing in all new private developments to address the serious housing affordability crisis. The Government needs to stop outsourcing responsibility for the housing crisis to the private sector and start taking genuine responsibility to ensure that housing is for people, not private profit. Comment by Greens MP Sue Higginson, spokesperson for Planning and the Environment: “Taking more power away from councils and local communities to incentivise private developers is the exact opposite of best practice planning pathways. To tackle the housing crisis, the NSW Government should be examining locally driven solutions that are interactive with existing communities and incorporate the local knowledge and planning controls of local councils. “Abusing the State Significant Development pathway to skip planning controls for private housing developments is not an appropriate way to address the housing crisis. Failed planning regulation that has been consistently weakened over the last two decades has created the illusion that only further private profiteering can solve the issue but that simply isn’t true. “What the Labor Government is proposing will effectively entrench corporate profits and manipulation of planning regulations as a function of housing developments. Chris Minns needs to break free from the failed corporate model for affordable housing and look to the world for best practice examples of ensuring that workers and residents can access and afford a stable and sustainable home.” Comment by Greens MP Jenny Leong, Spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness: “We absolutely welcome the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to boosting affordable housing supply - but we need to be mandating public and affordable housing in all new developments, not incentivising private developer profits. “A target of 15% affordable housing doesn’t even touch the sides of the housing affordability crisis we are facing. “The scale and severity of the problem calls for greater ambition: at a minimum, we need to see 30% affordable housing in perpetuity for all new private developments as a prerequisite for development consent. “The cost of rent and housing is out of control - supply alone will not fix the crisis unless we mandate affordability. This means setting rents for affordable housing relative to income and guaranteeing affordable housing in perpetuity.“
MEDIA COMMENT: Greens welcome decision to abandon rental auctions
Commenting on reports that the NSW Labor Government has abandoned controversial provisions that would have entrenched rental auctions, Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown and Greens Renters and Housing Spokesperson said: “The Greens absolutely welcome the NSW Labor Government listening to the overwhelming community concerns and having the sense to put this on the backburner. “From the moment we saw the details of this legislation, we knew that this provision would exacerbate the rental crisis and it’s why we’ve worked to expose, and put a stop, to rental auctions. “We heard clearly throughout this inquiry that no one was asking for rental auctions to be entrenched in NSW - not tenants advocates, peak bodies, or the real estate industry. “Now that we have dealt with this distraction, we can get onto the job of desperately needed rental reforms - that means working with the government to deliver portable bonds and end unfair, no grounds evictions. “The Greens will also be stepping up the push for an emergency 2 year rent freeze and to give renters the ultimate transparency of fixed, advertised rental prices. “We’re in a rental crisis. Every day we fail to take action is another day renters will face an unfair eviction or be hit with an excessive rent increase.”
MEDIA COMMENT: Greens concerned that rental reform will establish practice of ‘rent auctions’ in NSW
Commenting on the rental reforms introduced to NSW Parliament today, Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown and Greens spokesperson for Housing and Renters said: “The Greens, alongside renters across the state, welcome that the new Labor government is prioritising rental fairness reforms in the first week of Parliament. "Renters are bearing the brunt of the housing and cost of living crisis, we welcome portable bonds as a simple and practical way to ease the financial stress renters’ face moving house. “But when it comes to the changes proposed to end “secret” rent bidding we hold serious concerns that this will have significant unintended consequences, and will entrench rental auctions instead of stamping out rent bidding. "When it comes to rent bidding, it shouldn't matter whether it’s solicited or unsolicited, secret or out in the open, the practice itself is driving up the cost of rent and needs to be banned outright. “Renters are already struggling with the soaring cost of rent and a brutally competitive market. The last thing we should be doing is entrenching a system of renting to the highest bidder. “We look forward to working with tenants advocates, renters and the government to ensure this Bill does what it is intended to do - and protects renters from the harms of rent bidding. “The Greens have also today given notice of our emergency rent freeze bill. We want to press pause on skyrocketing, unchecked rent increases, and work constructively with the incoming government to fix the rental crisis.”
Greens NSW portfolios for new Parliament
With more Greens MP’s in our party room, a new government, and a new parliamentary term about to kick off, there have been some changes to our portfolio responsibilities. We’re looking forward to continuing our ongoing work in the Housing, Renters Rights’ and Homelessness, Industrial Relations, Anti-Racism and Multiculturalism, and Women’s portfolios. After 8 years of leading the Greens NSW LGBTIQA+ work, we are excited to announce that Amanda Cohn will be taking up this portfolio to continue the Greens long and proud work for rainbow rights. We’re thrilled to be expanding the Human Rights portfolio to include anti-discrimination, where there is so much work to be done and continues our close work with the Rainbow community on much needed protections and reforms. We can’t wait to get stuck in! You can see the full list of Greens NSW MP’s portfolios below.
MEDIA RELEASE: Redevelopment of Elizabeth Street, Redfern will be a sell off of public land for private profit
Today’s announcement from the NSW Liberal National Government to redevelop empty land across from Redfern Oval, that until 2013 was 100% public housing, will see more public land flogged off for private profit. The plans announced today propose to build 300 new apartments at the site, of which none appears to be public housing, only one third would be for community housing and the vast majority for private development.
Greens call to end to rent bidding immediately, with genuine protections for renters
Rent bidding must be banned alongside genuine protections for renters including ending no grounds evictions, freezing and controlling rents, and banning intrusive rental applications. Commenting on reports today that the NSW Fair Trading Minister is looking into reform that would ban rent bidding, Greens spokesperson for Housing and Renters and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP said:“Rent bidding should absolutely be banned, but we don’t need an investigation to tell us what we already know – dodgy agents and landlords are exploiting and profiting from the rental crisis. “Conversations with people on the street, and endless stories in the news, show us just how bad the power imbalance between renters and their real estate agent or landlords has gotten. “This is not a new problem and the Liberal Nationals have had 11 years in power to fix the rental crisis, instead they have ignored the renters in their communities and prioritised the interests of investors, real estate agents, and landlords. “The Greens welcome the government’s focus on banning rent bidding, but let’s not hide under the cover of an investigation when we know it’s a problem right now. “Every single day renters are being hit with massive rent increases they’re too fearful to negotiate or treading on eggshells to ask for basic repairs because of the threat of being evicted. “At a time when more people are renting than ever before, and for longer, we need to fix the conditions that have made chronic insecurity part and parcel of renting. “The Greens had a bill that would have addressed the crisis faced by renters, but Labor and Liberal shamefully teamed up to block it. “Rent bidding must be banned alongside genuine protections for renters including ending no grounds evictions, freezing and controlling rents, and banning intrusive rental applications.”
MEDIA RELEASE: Greens call for urgent action to get rents under control
The rental crisis will not get better without a freeze on rents and an end to unfair, no grounds evictions. Data released today in the Annual Rental Affordability Index shows that rental affordability is worse than ever before, and people are struggling to make ends meet between the soaring cost of rent, food and electricity. Greens spokesperson for Housing and Renters, and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP said: “Politicians cannot continue to sit on their hands and ignore the renters in their community who are being forced to make the difficult choice between rent they can’t afford or eviction. “The rental crisis isn’t going to get better until we freeze rents and get them under control, end unfair no grounds evictions, and stop the special treatment of landlords and investors profiting from the housing crisis. “Renting in Sydney is now considered “critically unaffordable” and it’s snowballing into regional communities, as more and more people are driven out of the city and into the regions. “No one should have to choose between paying their rent, putting food on the table, paying their bills on time, or getting Christmas presents for their families. “Just weeks ago, the Greens pushed to end no grounds evictions and give renters security by Christmas but it was shamefully blocked by the Liberal Government and NSW Labor. “Leaving renters to struggle with astronomically high rents and minimal protections is a political choice, and it’s time for politicians to work together to genuinely fix the rental crisis ,” Ms Leong said.
MEDIA RELEASE: Nothing snug about intrusive third party rental services exploiting renters
The Greens are calling on the NSW Government to take immediate action on the pervasive use of third party rental services. Greens MP and Housing Spokesperson Jenny Leong said: “Renters need urgent protections from third party services who are preying on and profiting off the housing crisis. “Reports today that third party rental services could be actively facilitating rent bidding, and contributing to the soaring cost of rent, are deeply disturbing. “And we know from the countless stories from renters in our community that these third party services regularly try to sell additional, and unnecessary, services like background checks to profit off renters desperation. “Alarm bells should be ringing that these third party services have an immense amount of power, and an immense amount of personal information. “Too often renters are given no choice but to hand over huge amounts of personal information, dating back years, to these services just to be considered for a rental property. “Renting in NSW is stressful enough, without the added - and very legitimate – fears around personal information that recent high profile data breaches have exposed. “The NSW Government needs to step in and take immediate action to review, regulate and provide much needed oversight to the pervasive use of third party rental services. “We need to ban rent bidding, stop intrusive rental applications, and massively strengthen renters' data protections.”
