Mr. Bob Jordan:

A rent control model was proposed by Threshold in the original report by the commission on the private rented sector, and that needs to be dusted down right now. As Deputy Boyd Barrett pointed out, landlords are exorbitantly jacking up rents on the basis that it is market rent. That is the only control we have at the moment. Once people get into accommodation and pay market rent, they should not have to face an exorbitant increase every year. Senator Hayden asked what incentives might be required for the housing assistance payment. If we are not going to outlaw the practice of refusing rent supplement, then perhaps we need to look at the incentives we can put in place for landlords to keep housing low-income households. We have those in other jurisdictions. It is obviously based on the tax actually paid and receiving a tax break on that, but this will have to be examined because there has been wholesale seepage of housing away from low-income households and they are being pushed into homelessness.