Rent Freeze Now

The Australian Citizens Party (Victorian Division) believes the Victorian Government has a responsibility to act when housing costs place an unsustainable burden on households. Renting has become a major cost-of-living pressure, and renters need meaningful relief now—not promises that the housing market will eventually fix itself.

Rising rents are putting enormous pressure on working families, pensioners, young people and people struggling to make ends meet. Too many Victorians are spending an ever-increasing share of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. We believe this must change.

Our plan would freeze residential rents for an initial period, preventing increases while households get some much-needed breathing room. After the freeze, a regulated rental cap would limit further increases, helping ensure rents do not continually outpace wages and inflation. Protections would also be needed to prevent excessive rent increases when a tenancy changes.

Victoria has a history of governments using their legislative powers to intervene during periods of economic hardship. During the Great Depression, the State introduced mortgage moratorium measures, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it legislated to temporarily prohibit rent increases. These precedents demonstrate that the Victorian Government has the capacity to intervene in housing and financial arrangements through legislation when circumstances demand action. The Australian Citizens Party believes that this power should be used to address today's rental affordability crisis and provide meaningful relief to Victorian households.

Rent regulation should also be part of a broader strategy to expand affordable housing, including renewed consideration of public housing development and the role of public finance.

Making renting affordable should not be a matter of Left or Right. The Australian Citizens Party is prepared to work with any party willing to deliver meaningful rent relief.