A politician who earns a salary of $167,000 has become homeless, in a sign Australia’s housing and cost of living crisis is spiraling out of control.
Western Australian independent MP Wilson Tucker is living in hotels and his car after receiving a baseless eviction notice in late April.
Although he was not given a reason as to why his fixed-term rental agreement was terminated, Tucker suspects it was a matter of re-renting the property at a higher price.
“In WA, the frequency with which a landlord can increase rents has changed from six months to 12 months, but that does not stop a landlord from terminating a lease through groundless evictions,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
He said this allows the landlord to “reissue it at a much higher rate because we don’t have rent caps.”
Western Australian independent MP Wilson Tucker (pictured) is living in hotels and his car after receiving a baseless eviction notice in late April.
Tucker said he sees himself more as a nomad than a vagabond, and acknowledges that with his high salary he is much luckier than others in a similar situation.
But the current law on evictions in Western Australia makes things more difficult for tenants there than in other parts of the country.
“Foundless eviction has been phased out or is in the process of being banned and phased out in all other states and jurisdictions in Australia except WA,” Mr Tucker said.
He said that although the state Labor government recently introduced some rent reforms, “WA still has the weakest rent protection laws in the country”.
‘The balance of power lies with landlords and property managers, so many tenants do not feel they can speak up, exercise their rights or make basic repair requests.
“They feel the ax could fall and as a result they could face eviction and homelessness. And given how tight this market is, an eviction order could mean you’re out of your house and on the street.’
Tucker said she has looked at many places since she received her eviction notice six weeks ago, but still hasn’t been able to find a place to rent.
‘There is certainly a lot of fear and desperation in the market. “There are literally hundreds of people showing up (to look at rentals), competing for a handful of properties… it’s been incredibly frustrating.”
As he represents the Kununurra mining and pastoral region in the WA upper house, Mr Tucker has ““I basically decided to pack my bags and live in my car in the north” during the weeks when parliament is not in session.
He said he will stay in hotels when he needs to be in Perth and will spend the rest of the time living in his Prado and in a tent as he tours his electorate, which is 2,205,281 square kilometres.
‘There are some days when it makes sense, if you’re in a more remote location, to pitch a tent. If I stay in a regional town like Kununurra I will probably choose a motel.
The WA government banned rental auctions in its recent reforms, with Trade Minister Sue Ellery saying it means “stronger rights for tenants”.
“Sending undercover agents to rental property inspections is one way Consumer Protection will ensure that changes to rental offers are honored.”
Ellery said the changes will also “allow tenants to challenge unfair treatment by landlords.”
“Tenants can now seek redress in Trial Court if they believe their landlord retaliated for exercising their rights, such as requesting repairs or filing complaints.”
A politician who earns a salary of $167,000 has become homeless, in a sign Australia’s housing and cost of living crisis is spiraling out of control. The photo shows a property for rent.
But Mr Tucker said the new laws do not go far enough and “it is incredibly disappointing that the WA Government has sided with the property industry to the detriment of the 700,000 tenants”.
He said he wants the state government to “reconsider its position” on rent protection.
“The elephant in the room, the low hanging fruit here is to eliminate baseless evictions and bring WA in line with the rest of the country.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the WA government for comment.