The Greens in Queensland are advocating for a two-year rental freeze and a one percent cap on prices in the upcoming October election. They estimate that renters could have saved an average of $5,395 since 2022 if a rental cap had been introduced.
The call for further action comes amid a rental crisis in the state, with median weekly rent prices sitting at $550, a 22 percent increase in two years. The Queensland government has already implemented some measures to address the issue, including outlawing bidding and limiting rent increases to once every 12 months.
However, the Greens and Anglicare Australia believe these measures do not go far enough and are calling for stricter regulations.
Anglicare Australia’s executive director, Kasy Chambers, said that while it is good to see an end to rental bidding, this change doesn’t go far enough. She also said that changing how often landlords increase the rent doesn’t affect the size of the increases.
The Anglicare Housing Report handed down on Tuesday revealed the grim rental reality with just 0.5 percent of available properties in southern Queensland affordable – less than 30 percent of a person’s income – to households on welfare support. Less than 9 percent were affordable to residents on minimum wage, with the Gold Coast bearing the brunt of surging prices.
For a couple on minimum wage with two young children in Queensland, just 8 percent of properties would be affordable to them.
Chambers said it is time to legislate a limit on rental increases, end no-cause evictions, and raise the minimum standard for the liveability of homes. She said that limits on rent increases are widely used around the world and are already working in the ACT, which is the only part of the country where rent growth is slowing.
She said there is no reason not to bring in limits for other states and territories and that governments must step in to protect renters.
