On Tuesday 28 March 2023, I asked the Premier whether renters should trust a government full of landlords who won't stop unlimited increases to rents.

You can read my question and the answer below, or find the full transcript and video link in the official Queensland Parliament Record of Proceedings (Hansard). 

Amy: 

My question today is to the Premier. The Premier is a landlord, the opposition leader is a landlord and the housing minister is a landlord. With no limits to the amount landlords can increase rents by, can the Premier—

Housing Minister: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order. The member is misleading the House. I am not a landlord. I ask the member to withdraw.*

*according to the Members' Register of Interests, Minister Enoch has an interest in a number of investment properties

Amy: 

I withdraw. With no limits to the amount landlords and real estate agents can increase rents by, can the Premier explain why renters should trust her government?

Premier:

As the member correctly points out, people on both sides of the House do own properties. What we do know is that there have been instances where renters have been saying very clearly they are seeing massive increases over short periods of time of up to $200 or $400 a week. We recognise that, and that is why we are acting today to ensure those rent increases happen only once a year. Secondly, can I say to the member that perhaps her party might want to support the federal legislation—

A government member interjected.

Premier: 

That is right; how much? Ten billion. As I said earlier, billions of dollars that would unlock over 30,000 social homes.* The biggest single thing the LNP and Greens could do is support that national legislation. On this side of the House we stand with those over one million renters across Queensland. It will be very interesting to see whether or not those opposite support what we are doing today.

*Federal Labor's Housing Australia Future Fund Bill guaranteed no spending on housing. Recently amendments proposed by the Greens were agreed to which guaranteed spending on housing. The Greens also secured an immediate $2 billion in direct investment in housing. 

We hear a lot of whingeing from those opposite. We see no ideas and we see no plans, but what we do see is a massive list of cuts. We know they will cut because, as everyone has said in the House today—nearly everyone—the LNP spokesperson Steve Minnikin, the member for Chatsworth, said, ‘Well, we know at the moment that if you look at the budget we’ve got areas where we’ve already identified a couple of billion dollars of savings.’ ‘Already identified’! We know they have been identified because the Leader of the Opposition published his hit list of billions of dollars of projects and jobs that would be at risk—hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs at risk—including Cross River Rail, Gold Coast Light Rail, Coomera Connector, upgrades, Centenary Bridge, the new QPAC theatre, satellite hospitals, the Gabba—they did mention Brisbane Live—CopperString et cetera as well as health cuts. We know their record in office is to cut, sack and sell. If there is one clear message out of New South Wales, it is that the public wants essential services, they want a government that listens and they want a government that protects their public assets and keeps them in public hands.