28th November 2023 13:13
Victorian Legislative Council, Melbourne
Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:12):
I rise to make a contribution today, as a member of the Legal and Social Issues Committee, on the rental and housing affordability inquiry.
Firstly, I would like to thank the secretariat. It is a huge body of work that everyone has contributed to, and we would not be as organised and as thoughtful as we are in a committee process without the secretariat really making sure not only that the administration is taken care of but also all that information is circulated to us in a timely and efficient way, and they are there to provide that guidance and advice. I really think it is super important that we acknowledge the secretariat in this process, because it was an ongoing, long process.
I was a renter and recently bought a home, hooray! I was a renter for 25 years. I had been a renter since I was 16, so a lot of these stories did resonate with me. But recommendation 2 on the right to housing, that housing should be formally recognised as a human right, I think is incredibly important.
I really appreciate the fact that that is a major recommendation within the report. I welcome the consideration of the Victorian equal opportunity and human rights commissioner Ro Allen in this space.
A safe, affordable home should be a human right, and people should feel as though they do not have to have a fight with their landlord to have access to clean amenity, to a home with no mould or to a home with a front door that locks – these are some of the stories that we heard from renters during that process.
I am really appreciative of the fact that I was part of this inquiry and got to share my experiences as well with many who contributed.
[ENDS]
