Qld Parliament sits today. Debate on gov't bills 11:15am-1pm & 3pm til adjournment:
1. Appropriation bill to authorise extra pandemic-related gov't spending
2. COVID-19 Emergency Response bill - various provisions, most notably re tenancy laws.

I'll post updates here. Thread:
I'm in the precinct but not allowed in the chamber during debate (watching up in my little office). Only one crossbench member is allowed at a time... BUT we can all be in there to vote. Apparently it's possible to physically distance for a vote, but not otherwise 🧐
Gov't moved a motion to refer the COVID-19 health response to the Parliamentary Health Committee. Opposition proposed amendment so inquiry be chaired by a non-government member to enable independent scrutiny of gov't decisions. I supported that amendment but it was voted down.
It's question time. Lots of Dorothy Dixers (government MPs asking each other questions about how well the government is doing). Yawn.
The Treasurer is now introducing the government's Appropriation (COVID-19) Bill 2020. It authorises the Treasurer to make additional expenditure from the consolidated fund:
- An extra $3.181 billion for the 2019-20 financial year
- An extra $1.615 billion for 2020-21
I'm about to speak on the government's appropriation bill. I'll get cut off because debate time's almost out, but I plan to speak about how we make sure Qld works for everyone, not just big corporations, now and after the crisis. You can watch live at http://tv.parliament.qld.gov.au 
Debate still going - I was told it'd stop at 4:42. 🤷‍♂️

Labor and LNP now arguing about whether it's better to spend $200M on bailing out private corporations or.... more cops & prisons.

(Btw, local police told me crime is actually down since COVID-19, because everyone's at home)
Finally! The Premier is introducing the COVID-19 Emergency Response Bill 2020. This is the one that allows for changes to tenancy laws, plus some regulatory powers to deal with things like court proceedings, legal documents, and Parliament sitting during the pandemic.
The bill also establishes a Small Business Commissioner to act as a point of contact for small businesses to access information, support and dispute resolution. Good stuff (the Qld Greens have been calling for an independent small business ombudsman for some time).
Another thing I'm encouraged to see in the bill is that it explicitly doesn't allow for regulations contrary to Qld's new Human Rights Act.
Premier now speaking to rental provisions. It's important gov't gets this right - s24(9) of the bill reduces the period for a "disallowance motion" from 14 sitting days to 14 calendar days, so if Parli doesn’t sit in the next 2 weeks, there's no opportunity for further scrutiny.
More good stuff in the bill: additional provisions allow tenants to leave with just 7 days' notice and/or change locks if they believe they can no longer safely stay at premises because of domestic/ family violence.
Also pleased to see the laws will prohibit lessors or agents from putting tenants on a tenancy blacklist for not paying rent or ending the lease during COVID-19 period if they're experiencing financial hardship or complying with a relevant public health direction.
Premier just finished her introductory speech by noting, for transparency, that she owns 2 rental properties. Worth remembering that at least 35% of Qld MPs are landlords & 85% own property - compared to broader Aus population, where 9% are landlords. 36% of Qlders rent.
The government is asking for the bill to be considered urgent and for debate to be limited to 3 hours. I'm thinking a lot of MPs (including myself) will be trying to squeeze into that 3 hours.
Opposition leader speaking on the bill now, confirms the LNP will not oppose it.
LNP opposition leader also confirms that, like the Premier, she’s a landlord.
An LNP member has actually asked a good Q about the proposed tenancy laws(!) Gov’t proposes mandatory conciliation w RTA if tenants & landlords can’t agree on reduced rent... but nothing about additional resources for RTA. I asked the Minister about this yesterday but no answer.
So it’s looking unlikely that I’ll get to speak on this bill. The reduced time for debate means heaps of MPs will miss out.
Crossbenchers get very few opportunities to speak in general, but the reduced scrutiny on one of the only substantial bills this year is really concerning.
Since I probably won’t get to speak, I thought I’d share some of my speech here.

The bill allows tenants experiencing financial hardship during COVID-19, and has no clear guidelines for rent reductions.
I had planned to move amendments to ensure the emergency measures include clear guidelines for COVID-related rent reductions - not deferrals - that prevent tenants paying more than 30% of their income on rent. It’s unlikely I’ll be able to do so now.
I also wanted to talk about how renters are actually being impacted by this crisis, and how the uncertainty and unfairness surrounding these laws is affecting their lives. Here are just a few of the locals who’ve contacted me recently:
And here is the brief summary of the amendments I had planned to introduce to the government’s COVID-19 tenancy provisions.

They’re based on an idea that seems foreign to the major parties: that housing is a human right, not just a speculative commodity.
And we’re done - debate over, COVID-19 emergency measures passed, and parliament about to adjourn. Only 1 crossbench MP got to speak during the slimmed down debate. The hours were filled mostly by members carrying on with long-winded, vague speeches - 15 mins each. No amendments.
Really disappointed we didn’t get to properly scrutinise these laws. We received them last night, had 3 hours for debate, & no opportunity to move amendments. Another case where it feels like Qld Parliament processes are little more than an illusion of democracy... 🤷‍♂️ goodnight!
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