Greens Leader Larissa Waters has called for a nationwide rent freeze for the duration of the fuel crisis. Photo: Greens.
The Greens have called for a nationwide rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions while the fuel crisis continues to grip Australia due to the Middle East war.
Green leader Larissa Waters said the 23 April meeting of National Cabinet was the opportune time for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to get the states and territories on board to coordinate protections for renters.
That didn’t happen, but Senator Waters says the PM should still be pushing for a collaborative effort to help renters, or answer for “massive rent hikes and evictions” in the coming months.
“Renters around the country are facing some of the worst housing insecurity in living memory,” she said.
“The fuel crisis has turbocharged a housing affordability crisis, with rents soaring, vacancy rates plummeting and house prices continuing to skyrocket.
“There are queues around the corner for tiny, overpriced apartments in every capital city in the country and outside the city the situation is often even more dire.
“Many people are facing a really terrifying reality that in the coming months they’ll simply have nowhere to live.”
The Greens leader said the COVID pandemic saw some governments moving to protect renters from rent increases and evictions.
Most notably, the Victorian Government implemented a 12-month freeze on rent increases as well as an eviction moratorium, and the Federal Coalition Government of Scott Morrison coordinated a national eviction moratorium.
The Greens want to see a similar, but nationwide, approach on both issues during the current national crisis.
Greens housing and homelessness spokesperson Barbara Pocock said it would be a sensible and immediate cost-of-living and rent relief measure to support people with the least secure housing.
“Too many households are just one rent increase away from eviction or homelessness,” Senator Pocock said.
“A rent freeze and ban on evictions will give people the security they need in a cost of living and fuel crisis.
“Trump and Netenyahu’s war on Iran is causing economic pain for Australians. While Labor gives tax breaks to price-gouging corporations and wealthy property investors, ordinary Australians are literally paying the price.
“Rents are rising at record rates forcing people to spend more than 30 per cent of their income just to keep a roof over their heads.”
Nationwide, rents have risen more than five per cent over the past year.
Mr Albanese emerged from National Cabinet without mentioning rental relief at all.
The Prime Minister said the priority for the federal, state and territory governments was securing fuel supply and introducing measures to keep prices from spiralling out of control.
He said Australia remains steady at level two in the National Fuel Security Plan, but National Cabinet was working hard to prepare for contingencies in the event of supply disruptions in fuel and in fertiliser.
The supply of petrol is now up to 46 days, which is higher than it was on 28 February when this conflict began.
“The longer … the war goes on, the more significant the implications for Australia will be, just like it’s having an impact right around the world,” the PM said.
“My government will continue to work around the clock to shield Australians from the worst of the impacts.
“And in doing that, we’re working with states and territories, but we’re also, of course, working with the private sector. Including the purchase or the underwriting of cargoes through Export Finance Australia, of which we’ve now had six cargoes of diesel that have had just a little bit over 300 million litres of diesel on their way to Australia as a result of the work that we’ve done there.
“And we’ll continue to do what we can to see if there are further cargoes that are available for purchase in the spot market.”
Mr Albanese said advancing beyond level two of the fuel security plan, which would mean more targeted measures to get fuel where it is most needed and then advancing to fuel rationing was “certainly not imminent”.
“The trigger is very clear, which is supply. Now, at this stage, what we have is normal supply,” he said.
“The number of ships that we would have expected to be coming to Australia are coming at this point in time. So, what we are attempting to do is to deliver as much supply as possible.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
