Minister should utilise his own powers to curb the rental crisis

 Labour Senator Kevin Humphreys is calling on Minister Murphy to expedite promised recommendations to cabinet on regulating the short-term rental market

Speaking today Senator Humphreys said

“This week we heard the Minister for Housing claim that he would strip local councils of their ability to provide emergency housing and move them to his own department.

“While I agree that some local authorities need to be moved into faster action on building homes, the Minister’s threat might not ring quite so hollow if he had set a better example over the last year in tackling the issue of short-term lets.

“The issue of regulating short-term lets has been within the Minister’s purview since taking office and he has been dragging his feet. It took him six months and public pressure for elected reps like myself to take the recommendations on how we can regulate Airbnb and short-term lets to Cabinet. 

“The Minster has to set the tone and lead the councils by example on this issue. Local councils need to do more and fast, but it seems somewhat disingenuous for the Minister to threaten to take control of the issue when has been less than prompt in taking action on an element of housing policy which falls directly under his purview.

“Regulating Airbnb and the short-term rental market won’t solve the homelessness crisis overnight but it would help bring more medium term rentals back into the market when they are desperately needed. Minister Murphy has to get to get serious about tackling the challenges facing renters today who don’t have time to wait for the government to build new homes.”