2026-10-15
The Victorian Greens say new figures showing Melbourne unit rents have hit a record $600 a week prove renters cannot afford another four years of Labor, with the Greens the only party going to this election with a plan to directly cut rents.
The Greens’ housing plan would freeze rents for two years and at the start of every new tenancy, before permanently capping rent increases so they stay below wage growth and inflation. Parliamentary Budget Office modelling commissioned by the Greens found rent controls could save the average Victorian renter more than $15,500 by 2030.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for Renting, Gabrielle de Vietri:
“Another rent record broken, another $25 a week ripped out of renters’ pockets, and Labor still refuses to cap rents.
“People are applying for everything they can find, living in campervans and sleeping in cars, while landlords can still jack up the rent as much as they like. This is what Labor’s rental crisis looks like.
“Renters don’t need more excuses or tinkering around the edges. They need lower rents.
“The Greens will freeze and cap rents so people can afford their home and still have money left to actually live their lives.
“After 12 years of Labor, Melbourne rents have hit another record. Renters deserve a government that is actually on their side.”