The Premier
Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk
PO Box 15185
CITY EAST QLD 4002
Email: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
Dear Premier
The recently introduced Queensland legislation regarding residential tenancy changes, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have removed property owners’ fundamental ownership rights and will create additional economic instability.
Many Queenslanders are rightly concerned at this level of government intervention into people’s lives. These tenancy changes will:
- negatively impact on the value of people’s homes and properties;
- expose the entire property market to the risk of property owners exiting the rental market;
- leave a shortage of rental properties, increase rents and make it harder for tenants to apply for leases.
These residential tenancy changes will have a catastrophic impact on the economy and on the already stretched state budget. Many property owners are self-funded retirees and are highly vulnerable to loss of rental income. More needs to be done to protect them.
I also seek your support for the reduction of rates imposed on property owners when their capacity to pay has been curtailed and that is providing more hardship with limited relief.
Commercial tenants are now asking for rental relief even in circumstances where they should not be entitled. I am advised that Tabcorp is one such company, whose share price has climbed 20 per cent in the last month, has asked for rental relief.
I ask that you reconsider the residential and commercial tenancy regulations by winding back unnecessary government intervention, restoring the full rights of property owners and mitigating any needless economic ruin as a consequence of this legislation.
Yours sincerely
Senator Malcolm Roberts
Senator for Queensland
