❓ The Premier outlines the government's $10,000 incentive for owners of short-term rentals to switch to the long-term rental market, aiming to boost housing supply. He criticises the opposition's lack of support for housing initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 831Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — LONG-TERM RENTAL INCENTIVE
831. Mrs L.A. MUNDAY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the member for Mount Lawley I welcome students from Mount Lawley Primary
School and their awesome deputy principal, Mrs Ashkenazy, to Parliament.
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's efforts to deliver more affordable
housing options across Western Australia . Can the Premier please outline
to the house how this government's reforms to short-term rental
accommodation will boost housing supply while balancing the needs of the
community and how this government's latest reforms take an innovative
approach to increasing rental supply?
831. Mrs L.A. MUNDAY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the member for Mount Lawley I welcome students from Mount Lawley Primary
School and their awesome deputy principal, Mrs Ashkenazy, to Parliament.
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's efforts to deliver more affordable
housing options across Western Australia . Can the Premier please outline
to the house how this government's reforms to short-term rental
accommodation will boost housing supply while balancing the needs of the
community and how this government's latest reforms take an innovative
approach to increasing rental supply?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question;
it is an important one. Members will recall that yesterday we announced our
policy to help tenants struggling to keep up with their rent. Today we have
another great announcement from my government for an innovative scheme to
attract more rental homes into the market. We have seen across the world a tightening
of rental and housing markets. From students to families to retirees, it is
hard to find a home to rent, and much is being invested into accelerating the
delivery of housing stock. Quite simply, more supply is the solution to our
housing challenges. I am sure most members would agree that short-term rental
accommodation is an important part of our overall tourism product and has
become a very popular option for holidaymakers. It has become a staple part of
our tourism offering; however, it is impossible to ignore the impact it has had
on long-term rental markets in some
neighbourhoods and communities. The proliferation of short-term rental
accommodation over the years has to some degree impacted the
availability of long-term rentals. At times like these, we need as many rental
homes as possible—every bit counts. We want to make sure that whatever
we put in place will attract the opportunity for even a single new home in the
rental market. From today the government is initiating an Australian first. We
are offering $10 000 to incentivise owners of short-term accommodation to
switch their homes to the long-term rental market. The new $10 000 incentive
will be in place for six months. To qualify for payment, home owners must
transfer their property to the long-term rental market for at least 12 months
and agree to charging an affordable rent. There is no silver bullet in relation
to housing supply. There is no simple solution; however, every bit counts. This
is the government's innovative approach to creating incentive. This is
about carrot, not stick. It is due to our responsible management of finances
that we have the opportunity to do this.
I note that Hon Steve Martin
critiqued this innovative scheme in the media, saying that it would not help at
all and would not create even one single new home. We disagree, and the Real
Estate Institute of Western Australia disagrees with him too. To quote REIWA
chief executive officer Cath Hart —
If short-stay incentive puts a roof
over one family's head, that's a positive.
We
could not agree more. We are doing everything we can to create more
availability of long-term rental stock. That comes in addition to our
regulation of short-term rental accommodation. The reforms respond to a parliamentary
inquiry in 2019 into this matter, establishing a statewide registration scheme
and updates to planning guidance for short-term rental accommodations. This is
an important opportunity to make sure we create more balance in the system and
ensure that we give people a fair chance to enter the rental market. This comes
on top of a range of measures the government has put in place to increase the
availability of housing, including our nation-leading planning reform
legislation, which I thought would have enjoyed the support of everyone in this
chamber because we know how important it is to make sure we bring stock
onstream as quickly as possible. I thought the Leader of the Liberal Party
would have been able to bring her whole party with her.
Ms A. Sanderson : Well, two
of them.
Ms S.F. McGurk : There's
not many of them.
Mr R.H. COOK : There are not
many, Madam Speaker. Even on this basic issue, the member for Vasse has failed
the test of leadership and cannot even bring the two other members in this
chamber with her. When it comes to the Liberal Party, it is policy lucky dip.
These people cannot be trusted. They create uncertainty for industry and they create uncertainty for the community. I thought
that on this basic issue of increasing housing supply through common sense, nation-leading planning reform, we would
have had everyone in this chamber welcoming those changes and making
sure that those laws went through without challenge. Today's
announcement is an important one to produce balance in the system. The
short-term rental accommodation policies we have launched today continue to place regulations where it should be in place to
ensure that we do not see an over proliferation of supply and more balance in the market. Most importantly, it will produce an incentive for people to
move into the long-term rental market. Even if we provide one family with the
opportunity for a roof over their head, that is what I call a successful
policy.
it is an important one. Members will recall that yesterday we announced our
policy to help tenants struggling to keep up with their rent. Today we have
another great announcement from my government for an innovative scheme to
attract more rental homes into the market. We have seen across the world a tightening
of rental and housing markets. From students to families to retirees, it is
hard to find a home to rent, and much is being invested into accelerating the
delivery of housing stock. Quite simply, more supply is the solution to our
housing challenges. I am sure most members would agree that short-term rental
accommodation is an important part of our overall tourism product and has
become a very popular option for holidaymakers. It has become a staple part of
our tourism offering; however, it is impossible to ignore the impact it has had
on long-term rental markets in some
neighbourhoods and communities. The proliferation of short-term rental
accommodation over the years has to some degree impacted the
availability of long-term rentals. At times like these, we need as many rental
homes as possible—every bit counts. We want to make sure that whatever
we put in place will attract the opportunity for even a single new home in the
rental market. From today the government is initiating an Australian first. We
are offering $10 000 to incentivise owners of short-term accommodation to
switch their homes to the long-term rental market. The new $10 000 incentive
will be in place for six months. To qualify for payment, home owners must
transfer their property to the long-term rental market for at least 12 months
and agree to charging an affordable rent. There is no silver bullet in relation
to housing supply. There is no simple solution; however, every bit counts. This
is the government's innovative approach to creating incentive. This is
about carrot, not stick. It is due to our responsible management of finances
that we have the opportunity to do this.
I note that Hon Steve Martin
critiqued this innovative scheme in the media, saying that it would not help at
all and would not create even one single new home. We disagree, and the Real
Estate Institute of Western Australia disagrees with him too. To quote REIWA
chief executive officer Cath Hart —
If short-stay incentive puts a roof
over one family's head, that's a positive.
We
could not agree more. We are doing everything we can to create more
availability of long-term rental stock. That comes in addition to our
regulation of short-term rental accommodation. The reforms respond to a parliamentary
inquiry in 2019 into this matter, establishing a statewide registration scheme
and updates to planning guidance for short-term rental accommodations. This is
an important opportunity to make sure we create more balance in the system and
ensure that we give people a fair chance to enter the rental market. This comes
on top of a range of measures the government has put in place to increase the
availability of housing, including our nation-leading planning reform
legislation, which I thought would have enjoyed the support of everyone in this
chamber because we know how important it is to make sure we bring stock
onstream as quickly as possible. I thought the Leader of the Liberal Party
would have been able to bring her whole party with her.
Ms A. Sanderson : Well, two
of them.
Ms S.F. McGurk : There's
not many of them.
Mr R.H. COOK : There are not
many, Madam Speaker. Even on this basic issue, the member for Vasse has failed
the test of leadership and cannot even bring the two other members in this
chamber with her. When it comes to the Liberal Party, it is policy lucky dip.
These people cannot be trusted. They create uncertainty for industry and they create uncertainty for the community. I thought
that on this basic issue of increasing housing supply through common sense, nation-leading planning reform, we would
have had everyone in this chamber welcoming those changes and making
sure that those laws went through without challenge. Today's
announcement is an important one to produce balance in the system. The
short-term rental accommodation policies we have launched today continue to place regulations where it should be in place to
ensure that we do not see an over proliferation of supply and more balance in the market. Most importantly, it will produce an incentive for people to
move into the long-term rental market. Even if we provide one family with the
opportunity for a roof over their head, that is what I call a successful
policy.
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