Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (12:29): I lead for the Government in the debate and advise from the outset that the Government does not support the Opposition's disingenuous, politically opportunistic disallowance motion. It is nothing more than a political stunt from a party that has never believed in renters' rights or reforms to rental regulations, in particular around no-grounds evictions. I am gobsmacked that Opposition members are now trying to position themselves as champions of renters, because the evidence speaks for itself.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Jason Li): Opposition members will come to order.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: Over 12 long years the Coalition had every opportunity during every sitting week—
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Jason Li): The Clerk will stop the clock. Even though the Speaker is not in the chair, I will be equally as rigorous in enforcing the standing orders during this debate. I warn Opposition members that if they are unruly and interject, I will not hesitate to call them to order. I note that the member for Oatley is on three calls to order, the member for Terrigal is on three calls to order and the member for Coffs Harbour is on two calls to order.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: As I was saying, over the 12 years they were in government Coalition members did nothing. There was silence. There was no impetus. There was no listening to stakeholders and there was no listening to the millions of renters in New South Wales. There was nothing at all. Opposition members are now saying that they are the champions of renters. But during the inquiry of the Select Committee on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (Prohibiting No Grounds Evictions) Bill 2024, which the member for Cessnock was involved in, they voted against some of the reforms that have since been implemented. Suddenly they have had a cathartic experience and claim to be the champions of renters, a group they have never listened to or supported. In contrast, the Minns Labor Government has delivered on its commitment to making renting fairer for the people of New South Wales. This Government has provided stability and certainty by ending no‑grounds evictions, giving renters security in their homes like never before.
The protections against no-grounds evictions have not changed. Let me repeat—the protections have not changed. A landlord still needs a valid reason to end a lease. As the Government made very clear from the beginning of the legislative reform process, it will always consider a range of views and feedback from stakeholders as part of that process to ensure that the State's rental reforms are always balanced, fair and easy to implement for renters, advocates and the sector. I make clear that the evidence requirements have not been removed. A written statement, signed and dated by the landlord, must still explain why renovations or repairs are significant and why a property must be vacant for works to be carried out, and must include a proposed commencement date for the work. That written evidence is part of the protection against no-grounds evictions. The adjustment to the evidence requirement is a minor change.
The Government has always been clear that, when needed, it will adapt based on the concerns of renters and industry. Significant stakeholder feedback from advocates and the industry was considered during the drafting of the regulation before it came into effect on 19 May. This informed the minor changes that were made. The Government has always taken a balanced approach to evidence requirements for ending a lease, which is why it allocated $8.4 million to the Rental Taskforce to monitor the implementation of the rental reforms and enforce the legislation. I reiterate to every member of this House, and to anyone listening, that after 12 years of the former Government's inaction and indifference, the Minns Labor Government has ended no-grounds evictions in New South Wales.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Jason Li): I call the member for Wahroonga to order for the second time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: NSW Labor has ushered in a new era of stability, security and certainty for renters and property owners. Before May this year, landlords could end a lease without a reason, leaving renters facing sudden and sometimes frequent moves, often placing them in the invidious position of having to pay more rent than they could afford or being asked to move to a place they did want to move to. Without that stability and security, it was hard for renters to assert their rights or raise concerns with their landlords for fear that requesting a repair or addressing a safety issue would result in an eviction. The Minns Labor Government has taken decisive action, ending no-grounds evictions for fixed-term and periodic leases.
I remind members that it was the Opposition's position that only renters with periodic leases should be protected from no-grounds evictions. It did not support the Government's changes for both types of leases but is now expressing faux outrage and claiming it is the champion of renters. The Opposition even moved an amendment in the Legislative Council for no-grounds evictions to apply only to periodic leases. The hypocrisy of the Opposition claiming to stand up for renters through this disallowance motion is quite remarkable. It is fake outrage and faux hyperbole. The Government has also embedded measures in the new laws to guard against the misuse of termination grounds and introduced re-letting exclusion and evidence requirements.
Let us not forget that those who are disingenuous and insincere in their written evidence about renovations face significant fines—$11,000 for an individual and $71,500 for a business—for providing false or misleading documents. That is a significant penalty for those caught doing the wrong thing. The Opposition is making the argument, with respect to the minor change made by the Government in response to feedback it has received, that every property owner has malintent and engages in unscrupulous behaviour. I do not believe that at all. I do not believe that every property owner is a cheat or has malintent.
Mr Tim James: No-one is saying that.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: That is exactly what you are saying. The rental reforms the Government has introduced are groundbreaking, sensible, measured and considered. They will improve the lives of the more than 2.3 million renters across New South Wales by giving them and their landlords clarity and certainty. In the past two years, the Government has implemented a robust reform agenda to make renting fairer for the increasing number of people in New South Wales who are renting.
It is important to see these reforms in their totality. In addition to protection against no-grounds evictions, the Government has made it easier to have pets in rentals, introduced a fee-free way for people to pay their rent, limited rent increases to once a year and ended tenants having to pay for their own background checks. We are also developing the nation's first portable rental bond scheme and currently have a bill before Parliament that will protect renters' privacy and dignity, ensuring that unnecessarily collected data is not onsold to marketers. Those reforms will address the excessive documentation and detail renters are currently being asked to provide when applying for a rental property. Under that bill, renters will not be asked for personal photos, social media account details, relationship details or information about their kids.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Jason Li): I call the member for Willoughby to order for the first time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: This disallowance motion focuses on one tiny clause instead of the totality of all the reforms the Government has introduced. Talk about looking at a little twig in a forest. The Opposition is ignoring the forest of reforms the Government has introduced and is instead focusing on a tiny little twig.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Jason Li): I call the member for Balmain to order for the first time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: Talk about losing perspective. The Opposition does not understand that the reforms the Government has introduced have changed the lives of the 2.3 million renters in New South Wales, who are now having to rent for longer. We have given them stability, certainty and protections. We have increased the fines and the penalties involved. No government has been a greater friend of the renters in New South Wales than the Minns Labor Government.
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Jason Li): I call the member for Willoughby to order for the second time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: It is obvious, when you compare the pair, that the Minns Labor Government has a proven track record of making it fairer for renters. In comparison, the Opposition did nothing in 12 years. We have made it clear that the Government will continue, through the Rental Commissioner, to monitor the implementation of our historic rental laws to ensure that they work in practice. It is for those reasons that the Government opposes this opportunistic, disingenuous and insincere disallowance motion from the Opposition, which has never actually supported renters in this State.
