Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bilyk for the question and for the work that she does in Tasmania in supporting access to housing and campaigning for a better deal for Australians in access to the supply of social and affordable housing and also for those who are renting.

While states have responsibility over tenancy laws, the Albanese government is showing national leadership, working with state, territory and local governments to deliver better housing outcomes. We were elected with an ambitious housing agenda to ensure more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home, and that agenda includes the steps we're taking to strengthen renters' rights. We're delivering changes to make a real difference to the almost one-third of Australian householders who rent. In August, National Cabinet agreed on a better deal for renters, and states are now working on improving rental regulations in their areas, with nine agreed actions they are progressing to improve conditions for renters, including changes like: developing a nationally consistent policy to implement a requirement for genuine reasonable grounds for eviction; making rental applications easier and better protecting renters' personal information; and improving protections for tenants experiencing domestic or family violence.

We're also providing the one million households who receive Commonwealth rent assistance with improved support by increasing the maximum rate of this payment by 15 per cent in the last budget. This is the biggest increase in CRA in over 30 years. In the budget there were also announcements to encourage the delivery of new build-to-rent homes with some changes to tax arrangements alongside our significant investments to increase the supply of new social and affordable rental homes. These measures all combined together will make a real difference to the lives of renters right across Australia.