Dr MARJORIE O'NEILL (Coogee) (11:54): My question is addressed to the Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading. Will the Minister update the House on the Minns Labor Government's work to build a fairer rental system for tenants and owners?
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) (11:55): Indeed, I will. I thank my good friend the member for Coogee for her question and for being a tireless advocate for the more than 48 per cent of people in her electorate who rent. There is no denying that the Minns Labor Government is making renting fairer across our State. Renters now enjoy more protections than ever before. We have ended no-grounds evictions, so people have security and stability. We have made it easier to have pets in rentals. We have addressed cost-of-living pressures by limiting rent increases to once per year, banning fees for background checks and ensuring that people can pay their rent without any extra charges. And we currently have two more rental reform bills before the Parliament. One will protect renters' data by, among other things, stopping unnecessary collection of personal information that is irrelevant to someone's ability to pay rent. The other will give victim-survivors of domestic and family violence greater power to leave unsafe homes, without financial penalty. Both of these bills reinforce this Government's commitment—
Mr Tim James: Took a long time.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Willoughby to order for the first time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: I note the interjection. Both bills reinforce this Government's commitment to delivering real, practical benefits to renters across our State. Passing historic rental reforms in this Parliament is only the first step to building a fairer rental market for tenants and owners alike. We also need to make sure that the laws are being enforced. That is why $8.4 million was assigned to set up the NSW Rental Taskforce. In its first six months, the taskforce has achieved great success for renters. It has recovered $166,000 in illegal fees for more than 2,000 renters, which is money back in their pockets. It has issued $240,000 worth of fines to landlords and agents caught doing the wrong thing. We have 99 per cent compliance on laws about rent bidding and pet advertising. We conducted 300 property inspections to check compliance with minimum standards for things such as repairs and maintenance requests, and two people have been successfully prosecuted for rental bond fraud. The results speak for themselves.
In response to the member's interjection, I would say that in 12 years the Coalition Government did not lift a finger for renters. We have done more in 2½ years than it did in 12. The Minns Labor Government is delivering on our promises, but we know there is more work to do. The Government has implemented laws that meet the moment, because more people are renting in New South Wales and actually renting for longer.
The SPEAKER: I direct the member for Upper Hunter to remove himself from the Chamber under Standing Order 249A until the end of question time.
[Pursuant to standing order the member for Upper Hunter left the Chamber at 11:58.]
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Wollongong to order for the first time.
Dr Marjorie O'Neill: I seek further information.
The SPEAKER: An additional two minutes is granted.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: The Minns Labor Government is delivering on our promise to make renting fairer, but we know there is more work to do. We have implemented laws that meet the moment, because more people than ever are renting in New South Wales, and they are renting for longer. We have a regulator that understands the highly competitive modern digital marketplace. Harnessing the power of technology has to be part of the enforcement process. The Rental Taskforce is using a new automated compliance monitoring program to detect unlawful re-letting in near real time. The compliance tool uses advanced data matching to track nearly one million rental properties across the State, cross-referencing landlord reports, rental listings, bond lodgements and tenant complaints. The tool then automatically flags potential breaches of re‑letting exclusion periods so the taskforce can investigate further. This data-based, intelligence-led approach ensures resources are focused on the highest risk cases.
The Rental Taskforce is also working hard to educate renters, landlords and agents about our new reforms. Surveys show that awareness among renters rose from 33 per cent to 80 per cent during a recent education campaign. Our website traffic has gone from 35,000 hits a month to 330,000 monthly visits—almost a tenfold increase. The numbers do not lie. The message is loud and clear. Renters wanted change, and the Minns Labor Government is delivering on it. I will never get tired of talking about this Government's historic rental reforms. We have ushered in a new era of stability and security for renters while giving certainty and clarity to owners. We have set up the Rental Taskforce to undertake intelligence-led protection and enforcement. More than 2.3 million renters in this State have benefited from our bold reform agenda. We are getting on with the job of creating a fairer, more transparent rental market for everyone in New South Wales.
