Ms Caren Gallagher:

The quarter 2 rent index came out late, as Senator Cummins has said. The other data we are processing are the notice-of-termination data with a view to making it readily available by the end of the year. We published a full technical appendix at the end of the rent index. With the major structural shift we had to our systems and data, we wanted to make sure we had gone through all of the steps to make sure the rent index was robust and the integrity of the data was maintained.

Our role in RPZ criteria is to confirm to the Minister if an area qualifies under certain criteria. We do that. The delay in the rent index was due to a variety of factors. We are trying very hard to get that back on track but it has been impacted by shifts in the data set and registration. However, we are working very hard.

The process and methodology of extracting data and the role of the ESRI in extracting data make it a very solid process. I do not think we would deviate from it because we get there through taking all the steps through that process. We will focus on maintaining the integrity of the data and getting to the end of this cycle of annual registration, catching up with regard to our timely data, because it is not ideal we are delayed, and making some of that available. We are looking to improve on that and to get to that better place where we not only have the rent index on new tenancies but the visibility on all of the tenancies in the sector.

We are working on that.