5 February 2025
Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.A. Simms:
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That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire and report on the short stay accommodation sector in South Australia with particular reference to:
(a) the role of short stay accommodation in contributing to the rental affordability crisis;
(b) the social and economic impacts of short stay accommodation on South Australian communities;
(c) the potential to regulate the short stay accommodation sector;
(d) the effectiveness of regulatory models adopted in other jurisdictions, both nationally and overseas;
(e) potential taxes or levies that could be applied to short stay accommodation and long-term vacant residential property;
(f) incentives that could be provided to home owners to transition properties listed on short stay accommodation platforms onto the long-term rental market;
(g) other strategies that could be adopted to activate residential property that is vacant long term; and
(h) any other related matters.
- That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (17:45): I thank honourable members for their contributions, and in particular I thank the government for their support of the inquiry. Indeed, I presume from the opposition's comments that they are also in support, so I thank members for that. Just to be clear, I want to touch on some of the themes the Hon. Frank Pangallo raised. It is certainly not my view that this is the only cause of the housing crisis. I do not think anyone has suggested that.
My reason for proposing this inquiry is that it may be playing a role. I asked my office on 21 January to look at the number of properties that were listed on the long-term rental market on websites like realestate.com.au and to compare those to the number of properties that were listed on short stay accommodation like Airbnb. The results of that were, I think, quite disturbing. What they found was that there were only 2,524 properties listed as long-term rental on that date versus more than 9,000 properties that were advertised on short stay accommodation websites like Airbnb.
Some will argue: is there a cause and effect? I would like to understand what is the relationship. Why is there such an over-representation of short stay accommodation versus such a shortage of long-term rental. I know from conversations I have had with people in the Port Lincoln area that there were a lot of people in some regional communities during COVID that, because there was a ban on overseas travel, moved properties that had been previously listed on the long-term rental market onto short stay accommodation.
My office found the issue much more pronounced in terms of the disparity between long-term rentals and short stay accommodation in some regional areas. For instance, on the Fleurieu south coast, there were more than a thousand properties listed on short stay platforms during the period that we examined versus just 19 long-term rentals in that area. I am really keen to look at these factors and look at what can be done.
I will certainly go into any committee with an open mind in terms of looking at what options there are. I am very keen to hear from key players. The Hon. Frank Pangallo has referenced an article in today's paper by Jamie McClurg. Thanks to the honourable member I no longer have to read the article; he has gone through it in great detail. Mr McClurg may well be somebody who we choose to hear from, along with the city council, which are taking action on this, and a range of other stakeholder groups. I thank members for their support and look forward to being able to sink my teeth into this this year. I think it is a really interesting area and one that is worthy of parliamentary inquiry.
Motion carried.
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I move:
That the select committee consist of the Hon. Dennis Hood, the Hon. Justin Hanson, the Hon. Michelle Lensink, the Hon. Tung Ngo, and the mover.
Motion carried.
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I move:
That the select committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place, and to report on 4 June 2025.
Motion carried.