IT’S A WRAP - NSW STATE ELECTIONS

Perhaps the ‘pin-up boy’ of last weekend’s State Elections is Oatley MP Mark Coure. Pre-election, Coure’s electorate was saturated with posters while the Hon Member spent much of his time occupying local street corners, his time and appearances of course paid for by NSW electors. Coure also welcomed the Premier and other Ministers into the local area during their orchestrated, almost-secret visits. Formerly a traditional Labor electorate, Oatley gifted a further swing of 4.1% to Mr Coure. Many tip a Ministry: Fair Trading, or Planning, or perhaps Tourism and Major Events? Close neighbour Airbnb’s Brent Thomas no doubt welcomes Coure’s success and the possibility of a promotion to the Ministry.

One wonders how long will it take the Berejiklian Government to implement MP Coure's recommendation that all holiday rental platforms be given full access to our homes and residential communities. To be virtually scrapped: Building Certifications, Residential Development Approvals, Residential Zoning, Land and Environment Court judgments and Orders, NCAT Orders, our proprietary rights on our homes and Title Deeds on ‘residential’ property, the rights of accredited accommodation providers, plus the fundamental right to safe, secure, affordable housing.

NSW Ministers write that in 2014 NSW/ACT had lost 216,000 homes to short-term letting. There has been an explosion in short-term rentals in the five years since, with, globally, an estimated 115,000 companies now targeting housing for holiday rentals – Airbnb obviously the most high profile amongst them.

NSW Central Coast Real Estate Agents - Forster Holiday Rentals, Pacific Palms Holidays and Hawks Nest Accommodation - have banded together under the name of Barrington Coast Accommodation. They are advertising 365 local homes as short-term holiday rentals. And licensed Real Estate Agents in the Monaro electorate who share Deputy Premier John Barilaro’s passion for short-term rentals are celebrating his return to Parliament and the idea that there could be a great chance to ‘cash in’ further if the Federal Government’s plans for the Snowy Hydro Scheme proceed.

With Michael Daley’s standing down as NSW Labor Leader, the question being asked is will Jodi McKay fill the position? Ms McKay has her short-term rental listed, at last count, on 76 platforms.

Just two of our recent posts on Facebook have had a combined reached so far of 16,125 readers. The impacts of short-term rentals cannot be underestimated. And we are attracting trolls aplenty. One very ‘critical’ troll has his four followers.

And in a final Parliamentary update: State MPs who had “illegal” short-term rental properties listed on Land and Court Orders with Penal Notice, those who called for Residents assisting Council in Court preparations to be “hunted down and sued”, and the MP who helped defeat an NCAT Submission, have now left the NSW Parliament, several having voted on amendments to short-term rental legislation prior to their departure. Parliamentary Pension recipients now include: Thomas George who recently wrote to the ABC “I have never used AirBnb or any other online platform”– Thomas! - John Williams and Kevin Humphries, with Garry Edwards taking his retreat following ICAC intervention.