I am pleased to contribute to debate on the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2024. I thank the member for Davidson for making some important and sensible comments and not bringing political views into the debate. I thank him for simply acknowledging those who have contributed to the bill and those who will benefit from it. The bill will introduce the most significant changes to rental laws in over a decade. It demonstrates the Minns Labor Government's commitment to making renting fairer by ending no‑grounds evictions for fixed-term and periodic leases and making it easier for renters to keep pets. The bill will also limit how often rent can be increased, ban renters from being asked to pay for background checks and ensure that renters have a free and convenient way to pay their rent. As we all know, around one-third of the New South Wales population are renters and renting is becoming a longer term option, or a necessity, for more people of all ages and in all life circumstances.

For many years renters have lacked the stability and the security they have craved to enable them to make a rental property a home. For many years I was a renter and endured considerable difficulties as a sole parent with two small children on a casual teacher's wage. I was often treated unfairly; in fact, I felt that I was often treated as a second-class citizen. I have a number of horror stories but I will not share them today. I acknowledge the member for Maitland, who outlined some of the homes she has seen and some of the terror and distress that renters often experience when their rental properties cannot be a home. I have lived experience of being a housing commission tenant. I was born into it and lived there as a child and later as an adult when my life was turned upside down. Those experiences have driven my work and my advocacy in this place. Today is an important day for us all to speak to our convictions and to our compassion, and to acknowledge the fairer and safer lives that we want tenants to have.

Stable and affordable housing is an absolute necessity. People cannot lead happy and fulfilling lives if they do not know where they are going to be living from one day to the next. That certainly echoes many of the stories that constituents of mine have told me. I am sure that is the case for many members of this place. In New South Wales more people are renting than ever before, as has been mentioned many times. Around one-third of the population lives in rentals. The current rental market in New South Wales is the toughest that renters have seen for decades, with historically low vacancy rates and median rent prices for houses increasing by nearly 10 per cent over the past 12 months. Many people, especially young people, are unable to get their foot on the housing ladder and believe that they never will. If they do not have the option to own their own home, they ought to have access to stable rental accommodation, which the bill tries to address.

The existing power imbalance between renters and landlords leaves many tenants feeling powerless and vulnerable. As I have said, I have lived experience of that, challenging real estate agents who are judgemental and challenging landowners who believe in different classes of citizens. Tenants are often forced to accept unreasonable terms because they lack housing options. If a renter has directly experienced no‑grounds evictions or if they live under the constant threat of sudden and unexpected eviction, that has a profound impact on their mental health. That absolutely forms many of the stories that my constituents have come to me with. It is not just about having a roof over your head; there are often multiple and complex layers of other issues that come with the lack of secure housing.

At present, many renters are afraid to raise issues with their landlords out of fear that they will be evicted. Consequently, rental properties are allowed to fall into a state of disrepair, as many members have spoken about, and the tenant is forced to live in squalid conditions. There are too many of those people, but I acknowledge that. The bill takes a step towards addressing those issues. In the current housing crisis, a sudden and unexpected eviction leaves many people, including families and young children, homeless or at risk of homelessness. The housing and homelessness services in my electorate tell me that they are struggling to keep pace with demand and are distressed by it.

Renters who are forced to move regularly cannot forge strong links to their community and often need to move away from schools, family and friends. I recall being told about an abandoned car in a car park near a railway station in the Blue Mountains. I left a note on the windscreen offering to help whoever owned the car because apparently someone was coming back each week. They had run out of money for registration and could not keep up their rental payments. One of the parents was sick, so they had taken the whole family "on a holiday" into the national park and were living under the shelter near a cave. They thought that their life had fallen apart. I hate to think what their next thoughts were, but they believed that they would be moved away from the community that they loved and the area that offered them security, care, friends and their school.

It is fantastic that the bill appoints the Rental Commissioner as a permanent member of the Rental Bond Board. That aligns with the commissioner's role in advising government on rental issues and working to protect renters and rebalance the rental market. The bill creates a modern, fairer, safer rental system in New South Wales. Over the past 18 months, the Government has taken significant steps to provide greater balance in the rental market. It appointed the State's first Rental Commissioner, Ms Trina Jones, who is a tireless advocate for renters. The Government has passed all sorts of legislation around rent bidding and the Portable Rental Bonds Scheme. That has been a game changer for renters, who will be able to save thousands of dollars. The Government has invested $8.4 million in a rental taskforce as part of this year's budget, with inspectors and support teams to help renters and to act on serious breaches of rental laws.

The Government has also launched the new, free Rent Check website to make it easier for renters to check whether the rent they are being asked to pay is fair. The reforms in the bill are critical to begin improving the lives of the more than two million people across the State who rent. They provide clarity and certainty for everyone, particularly renters who want to create stable homes. I look forward to seeing further Government bills introduced to the Parliament to implement the remainder of its commitments and continue the important work on the rental market.

I acknowledge the work of the Legislative Assembly Committee on Community Services, its staff and all of the members, that undertook important work in the inquiry into no-grounds evictions. I recognise and thank Leo Patterson Ross, the Tenants' Union of NSW and the Blue Mountains Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, particularly Ben Connor and the team, for their extraordinary work. I thank the many tenants who have shared their stories with me. They have played a helpful and significant part in delivering the reform package in the bill. I express gratitude for the important work undertaken by many in this place and beyond, including the Minister for Housing, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Minister for Building and their teams. I thank the member for Newtown for her tireless advocacy on the issue. I am proud to be in the Chamber with her tonight. The Government is modernising the rental system for the people of New South Wales. I am proud to be a member of this Government. I commend the bill to the House.