Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to reject this motion in the strongest terms. Forcing a rent freeze will only make our housing crisis worse, not better. Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware of the huge rent increases that have occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm fully aware that many Australian families are struggling with it. But freezing rents will only force more landlords out of the sector and further reduce the amount of accommodation available for rent. You need to address the underlying causes of this crisis—lack of supply, in part driven by the fact we allow foreigners and multinationals to buy new residential property. Actually, stop all foreign ownership of any housing, new or established; massive and costly regulation imposed on landlords; and high demand largely driven by the unsustainable flood of immigrants coming into this country as part of Labor's plan to outsource jobs that should go to Australians. State governments should release more land in a timely manner, address costs and red tape, and revise stamp duty.

Most landlords are not wealthy property tycoons. In many cases it supplements an otherwise meagre income. Many have spent all their lives making sacrifices to invest in a single property to make things a bit more comfortable in their retirement. Their costs are going up too, like council rates, insurance and interest rates. They have no control over these costs. If they cannot raise rents to accommodate these costs, they will leave the rental game and Australians will have an even lower supply than before.

Landlords are also tired of increasing regulation which takes away their rights as property owners. These days, when a tenant moves in they effectively become the owners, and if they become a problem they can be impossible to remove in exchange for responsible tenants. Bonds worth four or six weeks rent are wholly inadequate to cover the cost of repairing property damage, wear and tear. Landlords in some cases can't even refuse tenants who own pets they don't want in their properties.

Now the Greens want to take away another right. Are they completely ignorant of the short-term holiday accommodation market? Are they not aware of how much easier it is for property owners in this market than the rental market? Insurance costs are taken care of. Most stays are only for a day or a week, limiting the amount of wear and tear a landlord might need to fix. Property owners can make a lot more money from this market. A home that might attract $25,000 a year in rent can earn double that figure in the short-term holiday accommodation market without much of the regulatory burden forced on landlords.

I know the Greens mean well, I really do, with this idea. I look forward to you freezing rents on your own investment properties, but don't impose your economic illiteracy on Australia.