SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE NOW MORE AFFORDABLE THAN PERTH FOR RENTERS

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA 28 January 2026 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE NOW MORE AFFORDABLE THAN PERTH FOR RENTERS New data has laid bare the depth of Perth’s rental crisis, with Sydney and Melbourne now offering more affordable rental suburbs than Western Australia’s capital. Latest figures from Cotality’s Rental Review show that Perth has fallen behind both Sydney and Melbourne when it comes to access to affordable rental housing, even at the bottom end of the market. This crisis is being driven by the Albanese and Cook Labor Governments’ failure to deliver new housing supply. The latest ABS housing construction data confirms Western Australia is now 4,500 homes behind its National Housing Accord target, with just 5,150 homes completed in the September quarter — an 11 percent fall compared to the same period last year and the fewest quarterly completions since the Accord was agreed in mid-2024. It is the third consecutive quarter of declining completions, even as Perth’s median house price has surged past $1 million and population growth continues to accelerate. While housing completions fell in WA, the rest of the nation moved in the opposite direction, delivering around 10,000 more homes than a year earlier. The supply shortfall is now directly impacting the rental market. In Perth, the most affordable suburbs to rent a home range from $473 per week in Orelia to $540 in Kelmscott, with an average of $509 across the five most affordable suburbs. By comparison, Melbourne’s most affordable rental suburb, Melton South, averages $376 per week, with Sydney’s cheapest suburbs averaging $472. Despite a population of just 2.3 million, Perth now has less affordable rental options than Sydney or Melbourne. Perth’s rental vacancy rate sits at just 1.3 percent, compared with 1.6 percent in Melbourne and 2 percent in Sydney, highlighting the extreme pressure facing renters in the West. The pain is being felt most sharply in traditionally affordable suburbs. In Orelia, rents have surged by more than $190 a week — a 68 percent increase — since 2022, pushing housing well beyond the reach of low-income earners and people relying on income support such as JobSeeker.   COMMENTS ATTRIBUTABLE TO SENATOR DEAN SMITH: “The WA rental crisis is now worse than Sydney and Melbourne, yet WA is moving backwards on home building — we are thousands of homes behind target under Labor, with home completions falling while the rest of the country increases supply.” “When WA builds just 5,150 homes in a quarter, the lowest since the Housing Accord began, it is no surprise vacancy rates have collapsed and rents have surged.” “This is the direct result of Labor’s failure to deliver housing supply, combined with unmodelled population growth that has pushed demand beyond what the market can absorb.” “When vacancy rates fall to 1.3 percent, rents rise sharply, renters lose bargaining power and the most vulnerable are pushed out.” “Without urgent action to lift construction, cut red tape and fix workforce shortages, Perth’s rental crisis will continue to deepen.”

UNANIMOUS COMMITTEE REPORT FLAGS KEY CONCERNS WITH COMBATING ANTISEMITISM, HATE AND EXTREMISM BILL

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA 19 January 2026 UNANIMOUS COMMITTEE REPORT FLAGS KEY CONCERNS WITH COMBATING ANTISEMITISM, HATE AND EXTREMISM BILL The bipartisan Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee has tabled a unanimous report raising significant concerns over aspects of the Albanese Government’s Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026. Chief among these is that parts of the proposed legislation risk infringing fundamental rights long protected under Australian law, including freedom of expression and freedom of association. Since 1981, the Scrutiny of Bills Committee has assessed every bill introduced into the Senate against long-standing accountability and rights-based standards. The Committee comprises Coalition, Labor and Australian Greens senators and is chaired by Senator Dean Smith. Its latest report — agreed by all members — identifies multiple areas of concern in addition to potentially trespassing on rights and liberties, including questions of procedural fairness, broad and discretionary Ministerial powers, the use of automated decision-making frameworks for security assessments, and the absence of an automatic sunset clause. The Committee also drew attention to the speed at which the Bill is expected to be considered and debated by Parliament, given the scope and seriousness of its proposed measures. The Committee has now formally sought further explanation from the relevant Minister on these issues and why the Government considers them necessary. This includes a request for detailed advice from the Minister on whether provisions that criminalise speech and association are proportionate to the Bill’s stated objectives, and whether the breadth of conduct and ideas captured under the Bill is appropriately defined. Clarification has been sought regarding the expansive definition of firearms and explosive materials contained in the Bill. The Committee now awaits the Minister’s response. In the meantime, the report contains a number of recommendations made by the Committee, including the establishment of a mechanism for ongoing monitoring of the Bill’s operation, including a statutory review and the application of a sunset clause pending the outcome of that review.   Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith, Chair of the Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee “This is a unanimous report — Coalition, Labor and Greens senators are all united in their concern about the breadth of the powers proposed and the limited safeguards in the Bill.” “The Committee is not questioning the importance of addressing Antisemitism, hate or extremism — but Parliament has a duty to ensure laws are precise, proportionate and consistent with fundamental rights.” “Legislation of this magnitude should not be rushed. It requires careful scrutiny, clear definitions and strong accountability mechanisms.” “Where laws affect freedom of speech and association, the threshold for justification must be very high — and that case has not yet been made.” “The absence of a sunset clause and reliance on broad discretionary powers raise serious questions about long-term oversight.” “Protecting Australians from harm must never come at the expense of undermining the rule of law.”

NO CHRISTMAS BILL RELIEF, JUST ONGOING ENERGY HARDSHIP FROM LABOR IN 2026

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH ACTING SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE LIBERAL SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA NO CHRISTMAS BILL RELIEF, JUST ONGOING ENERGY HARDSHIP FROM LABOR IN 2026 Christmas passed without the Albanese Government delivering the $275 power bill reduction it promised. Instead, in a further demonstration of the negative impact Labor’s bungled energy policy is having on households and businesses, many Australians are entering the New Year paying higher prices and carrying more debt. ABS inflation data released today reveals electricity prices surged by 19.7 percent in the year to November 2025, with an increase of nearly 7 percent between October and November alone. The ACCC’s Inquiry into the National Energy Market report, launched at the end of last year, also confirmed electricity costs increased between 2024 and 2025. Unsurprisingly, it has led to already struggling Australians falling deeper into debt. Data released by the Australian Energy Regulator shows the confronting scale of growing debt being experienced by East Coast energy consumers. The average residential energy debt for 2024-2025 was $1,367 – an increase of $381, or 38.6 percent, since 2022-23 when the Albanese Government came to power. Small businesses are similarly impacted, with the average energy debt sitting at $2,516, up from $2,458. Contrasted with the average under the previous Coalition Government in 2020-2021, small businesses are now carrying an additional $388 in debt – an 18 percent rise in five years. These figures do not capture those Australians on hardship plans. Data from across the East Coast shows that 205,000 households were utilising hardship arrangements at the end of June 2025. The AER reports that average residential electricity hardship debt for 2024-2025 is $2,102. That represents a $415, or 19.3 percent, increase compared to 2022-2023. In the last year, it jumped by nearly 25 percent. The average residential gas energy debt for those on hardship programs was $947 for 2024-2025, up nearly 11 percent since 2022-23 and 16.6 percent in the past year. Not only has the Albanese Government broken its promise, but this data is evidence that its failed, ideologically driven energy policy has pushed prices to crippling new heights and – unless significant changes are made – will continue to do so in 2026. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “This is not the beginning to the New Year Australian energy consumers deserved – or the one they were promised.” “Labor has broken its commitment to deliver energy bill relief to Australians, while overseeing increases in both prices and debt that are pushing them to the edge. “It is no coincidence that these increases have occurred since the Albanese came to Government in 2022 and began rolling out its misguided energy and emissions reduction policy. “Until Labor adopts a sensible and responsible plan that puts Australian households and businesses first, this is what 2026 will look like for energy users.”