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Chalmers grilled about potential rent freeze

Chalmers is asked three times whether he has any views about a potential rent freeze. He says he has been focused on cost-of-living measures at the federal level.

My thoughts are we’re better off trying to encourage supply. While doing that we’re trying to take some of the edges off the pressure people are funding, that’s why I funded the biggest increase in rental assistance.

What we’ve been able to do, and I acknowledge the work of Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese working with the states and territories to do this, is to try and moderate the costs. It’s still a demand-driven program. It still will be growing very quick, the quickest growing in the budget but we need to moderate some of these costs.

In the near term that’s about cracking down on fraud and money going where it’s not supposed to be going. We also need to be making sure that we are moderating costs in – growth in costs in services and equipment, for example.

We don’t have enough homes and so whether it’s the build to rent tax breaks, the housing Australia future fund or the housing accord or some of these other measures, it recognises if we need - if we’re going to make housing more affordable, we need more supply.

But Anthony Albanese, to his credit, has shown leadership at the national cabinet level to see how we can work with the states and territories on issues like renters’ rights and that’s really important. When it comes to the agreement with the states and territories, we will do what we can.

It wouldn’t be the best negotiating tactic, David, to nominate a number today but we have said we’re prepared to extend it.