Hon Lynn MacLaren MLC, the Greens spokesperson for housing has welcomed the passage of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2011 (RTA Bill) this week, but believes the Bill has been marred by the addition of an ‘objectionable behaviour’ clause. The Greens were the only party to oppose the clause and moved several other amendments, achieving the timely refund of option fees.
“On the whole, the RTA Bill makes an important step forward in protecting the rights of tenants by prescribing the form of tenancy agreements, regulating residential tenancy databases, and a raft of other measures. However, new laws to enable lessors to evict tenants for ‘objectionable behaviour’ were introduced into the Bill without consultation with the community sector, which is united in its opposition to this provision,” said Ms MacLaren. Read more »