Curtin Scorecard

Want a quick snapshot of where key parties and candidates stand on rental issues? We've made this handy scorecard below. To learn more about the issue, you can click the corresponding emoji.

  Labor Coalition Greens Kate Chaney
Rental Laws & Energy Efficiency Labor supports rental law reforms Labor has led reforms to strengthen and harmonise rental laws across Australia. They have also invested $800m to improve the energy performance of social housing. Coalition opposes stronger rental law reforms The Coalition proposes to stop further changes to the National Construction Code, which means newly-built homes would have worse energy performance and be less suitable for a changing climate. Greens strongly support rental law reforms The Greens have proposed a national scheme to significantly strengthen rental laws, including introducing minimum energy performance standards for rental homes. Kate Chaney supports rental law reforms Kate Chaney's housing policy calls for an end to no grounds evictions and limits on rent increases.
Supporting Social Housing Labor supports investment in social housing Labor committed $2 billion through the Social Housing Accelerator to support 4000 new and refurbished homes, the biggest one-off investment in social housing since the Global Financial Crisis. They have also introduced the Housing Australia Future Fund and made it easier to borrow money to build social housing. Coalition opposes further social housing investment The Coalition has committed to scrap existing funding vehicles for social housing. Greens strongly support expanding social housing The Greens have proposed increased investment in building and maintaining public housing, as well as a public property developer to build 610,000 homes over a decade. Kate Chaney supports investment in social housing Kate Chaney has called for boosted investment in social and affordable housing, including a scheme similar to the National Rental AFfordability Scheme.
Tax Reform for Housing Affordability Labor maintains tax breaks for property investors Labor plans to maintain existing tax subsidies for wealthy property investors. Coalition maintains tax breaks for property investors The Coalition plans to maintain existing tax subsidies for wealthy property investors. Greens support tax reform to improve rental affordability The Greens aim to wind back negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. However, their proposed approach would favor small-scale amateur landlords, which can be problematic. Kate Chaney supports tax reform Kate Chaney has called for reform to negative gearing and the CGT discount, pointing out that this could reduce house prices and assist Australians who want to own and occupy their own home.

How we scored

In January 2025, we wrote to Labor, the Greens, the Coalition, and Kate Chaney, asking about their position on key issues affecting renters. We then made an assessment based on their response, their actions in the current parliamentary term, and any commitments or policies for the future. Roughly, what we wanted to see was:

  • Action to make rental laws stronger, more consistent, and better enforced. We are particularly keen to see action to help renters benefit from more energy-efficient homes.
  • Increased investment in public and community housing.
  • Winding back negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount to improve housing affordability and reduce budget waste.

To learn more about a response, click the corresponding emoji in the table above.

For more detail, including the full responses from each, you can go here.