Liberal MP considers defying party to support Greens bill on no-grounds evictions

A NSW Liberal Party MP is considering crossing the floor to support a Greens bill to ban no-grounds evictions, citing frustration with a lack of progress on a practice both major parties promised to end before the last election.

Felicity Wilson, the Liberal MP for the seat of North Shore, is contemplating breaking with the Coalition to support a bill introduced by Greens MP Jenny Leong requiring landlords to give reasonable grounds before terminating fixed or periodic leases.

Liberal MP Felicity Wilson is considering defying her party by supporting a Greens bill to end no-grounds evictions.Credit: James Alcock

Herself a renter, Wilson told the Herald she was “frustrated that more than a year after the election neither major party has progressed their commitments on crucial rental reforms”.

“I will support any good legislation that will ensure people aren’t kicked out of their homes without a fair reason,” she said.

“Given the lack of movement by the major parties to address this crisis, I am considering all options available to me as an MP to protect those renting in our communities.

“If that means going against my own party, then so be it.”

Labor and the Coalition both pledged to end no-grounds evictions before the last election.Credit: Peter Rae

Though the bill is certain to fail, Wilson’s support would most likely give it enough support on the floor of parliament to force a recorded vote.

Such a step would place both the Labor government and the Liberal opposition in the embarrassing position of voting against a reform they have promised to enact.

The bill sets out a list of reasonable grounds for termination, including if a landlord wants to live in the property, and is similar in scope to policies taken to the 2023 election by both Labor and the Coalition. It also allows the minister to widen the scope of eviction grounds through regulation.

Under former premier Dominic Perrottet, the Coalition said it would develop a “reasonable grounds” model for evictions from periodic but not fixed-term leases, a commitment the Coalition’s fair trading spokesman Tim James said the party was still committed to.

Former premier Dominic Perrottet pledged action on no-grounds evictions before the last election.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

During a debate in parliament over the legislation, James said the Coalition would not support the Greens bill because it had “not adequately found a balanced middle ground approach”.

The Minns government also says it will not support the bill. Before the election, Labor promised to end no-grounds evictions, but has been slow in progressing the reform. Minister for Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said the government would “take its time, in a considered way” to pass the reforms.

“[The change] needs to take into account the nuances of the market and be sensitive to any adverse or distortionary effects that the reforms may have,” he said.

In July last year, the government released a discussion paper canvassing a ban on no-grounds evictions in both fixed and periodic leases — which is what the Greens have proposed — but has since made little progress.

In February, it said consultation over the reforms had received a record number of submissions, but concluded more time was needed to develop the bill. While most renters are in favour of change, it found “most landlords and real estate agents oppose reforms”.

The Herald previously reported the government was facing push-back on the reforms from the real estate lobby, which has claimed the change could breach the human rights of landlords.

While the government says its bill is unlikely to come before the parliament in the next sitting week, Leong said that she was having “conversations across party lines to work out how we can deliver this reform together”.

“It’s not in anybody’s interest to vote against their own election promises,” she said.

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