Mr ALEX GREENWICH (Sydney) (11:31): I apologise to members. I rarely miss the call. I was looking forward to the question from the member for Orange and he was looking forward to my question. That was the stuff‑up. We are so polite on the crossbench. My question is directed to the Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading. Given the affordable housing challenges in the Sydney electorate, including boarding houses being sold off and affordable rentals being converted into expensive short-terms lets, what is the Government doing to protect boarding house residents and prevent short-term letting taking over communities?
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) (11:32): I thank the member for Sydney for his question. I know it is an important issue for him and his constituents. Before I start, I welcome the students from Sydney Girls High School who are in the gallery. As someone who is married to a former student of that great public institution, I can attest to what a fine public education it provides. There is a running joke that you can tell a Sydney Girls girl, but you cannot tell her much.
I again thank the member for Sydney for his question. I had the opportunity to discuss the issue in finer detail with the member and his constituents. I thank them for taking me around Millers Point and highlighting the issues in his electorate, literally in front of my face. It is a beautiful part of Sydney, with some beautiful old houses. It is an old community, so it was quite a sombre moment to see padlocks on the gates, doors and staircases of those houses, which show they are no longer used as long-term, permanent accommodation for people in Sydney. It is a loss to the community—there are consequences for childcare operations in Millers Point, for example. It was a sobering moment but also an important reason as to why we need to fix some of the laws.
I am pleased to advise the member for Sydney that progress has been made since the last time I spoke in this place regarding the Boarding Houses Act 2012. The Government has been busy consulting with stakeholders as it works towards implementing the recommendations from the statutory review of that Act. Recommendations from that review included broadening the application of the Act, fire safety and overcrowding protections, new minimum standards, and a greater role in compliance and enforcement for NSW Fair Trading and—through my colleague Minister Dib—Fire and Rescue NSW.
NSW Fair Trading has established an expert advisory group that includes tenant advocates, property sector representatives, academics, local councils and legal centres. There is also a working group that will provide technical feedback on draft legislation to ensure that any changes to the Act work in practice. I am also pleased to advise that the Department of Communities and Justice is consulting with operators of assisted boarding houses and the disability sector. The consultation process has also focused on lived experience, with NSW Fair Trading engaging with residents in student accommodation, shared housing and boarding houses. [Extension of time]
Hearing about things firsthand is important to ensure that changes are practical, relevant and reflect how people live their lives. I know the member for Sydney is keen to see the Government's response to the statutory review of the Boarding Houses Act. We are going through an important consultation process and will have more to say once we finish reviewing the feedback from all stakeholders. We want to take the time to get it right, because it is important and it is what the community deserves. There are more than 1,450 registered boarding houses in New South Wales. We want to make sure reforms make a real difference to the vulnerable people who call a boarding house a home.
The Minns Labor Government is resolutely focused on increasing housing supply, including affordable housing. Boarding houses, new social and affordable housing and long-term rental properties all play an important part in meeting our State's housing needs. We have build-to-rent and build-to-sell housing, but we should not forget build to share and build for social purposes. There is no one silver bullet in solving the housing challenge. That is why we need to take a holistic approach. We are relying on bold planning laws, which the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces has made significant inroads into, while overhauling rental laws and strata laws, because we need legislation that supports the way people live now, not how they lived a decade ago.
We have also appointed the State's first Rental Commissioner, who has been tasked with identifying barriers to increasing housing supply for renting. The Rental Commissioner joined me, the member for Sydney and his constituents on our walking meeting around Millers Point. I know that Ms Jones is very appreciative of the feedback she is hearing from residents firsthand. The Government has initiated a review of the regulatory framework for short-term rental accommodation. My colleague in the other place the Minister for Housing is leading that important work. I am advised that the Government has received feedback as part of the discussion paper released last year and is still considering that feedback. [Time expired.]
