Owning a rental property in Australia is becoming a complete farce. Why would you bother owning a rental property when renters can do whatever they want with your property? Adam Bandt’s latest socialist brainchild, the ‘Renters [sic] right to solar’, is the dumbest policy in Australian history.
Bandt obviously thinks that investors are so desperate they will invest in housing regardless of the regulations the Greens will force Albo to adopt when Adam becomes the Prime-Alt Minister.
Old mate Adam wants to tell landlords what they can do with their own property. But this time, he wants to secure government ownership over part of your property. There is a term for this type of government … it’s called socialism. It’s a political system that four generations of my family have fought to keep away from our shores.
As we approach Anzac Day, sons and daughters of Anzacs ought to send a clear message to the Greens that socialism is not welcome here.
Yet now the Greens want to open the gates to the socialism from within.
The Greens’ plan is to plaster rental properties with solar panels. Not at the request of landlords mind you, but at the request of tenants:
‘…under a Greens plan that seeks to open up access to lower power bills and reduced emissions for Australia’s seven million renters.’
Landlords will have few reasons to refuse. This policy pretends to be about reducing power bills that Chris Bowen has artificially increased, while in reality focusing on curtailing property rights for aspirational Australians.
Straight out of the WEF playbook, you will own nothing, and you will be happy. Unless you are not a Woke idiot, of course.
Under the Greens’ policy, landlords won’t have to pay at first. The initial outlay will be funded by the government (i.e., taxpayers). But here’s the kicker. The asset placed on your house will belong to Snowy Hydro (that doyen of government efficiency). The Greens tell us that:
‘The panels will be listed as an asset on Snowy Hydro’s balance sheet with a caveat placed on the title of the property. Landlords could elect to pay this amount off early if they choose, otherwise Snowy Hydro will be entitled to be repaid the amount owing when the property is sold or its ownership transferred.’
Hallelujah. Just like that, the government owns part of your property. Or to put it in plain language, your property rights will be blasted away and any rental income you might have otherwise earned will go to Snowy Hydro.
Congratulations, Adam, you’ve just created the dumbest policy in Australian history.
Rather than legislate to enable the government to own a slice of landlords’ properties, I have a new idea…
We should legislate for Australians to be able to tell the Greens to go and get stuffed whenever they like.
Byline: Dr Michael de Percy FRSA FCILT MRSN @FlaneurPolitiq is a political scientist and political commentator. He is a member of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, Chairman of the ACT and Southern NSW Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, and a member of the Australian Nuclear Association. Michael is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon and was appointed to the College of Experts at the Australian Research Council in 2022. All opinions in this article are the author’s own.
