But the two-year review shows progress has been patchy, with rights still largely dictated by postcode.

Who’s ahead and who’s behind?

South Australia and Queensland sat in the middle, each having adopted or nearly adopted over half of the reforms, but still leaving gaps.

The new report tracks the two-year progress of each state and territory against the ‘Better Deal for Renters’ national strategy. Source: SBS News

Where has progress been made?

All jurisdictions except the Northern Territory now limit rent increases to once a year. In the territory, they can still occur every six months.

Where is reform stalling?

Retaliatory evictions: No state or territory has acted since last year’s report. Only the ACT and Queensland have come close to delivering on reforms. 

Regulation of short-term stays: Only one jurisdiction, Victoria, has taken action to regulate short-term accommodation, introducing a tax on the revenue generated by platforms. While the ACT and Tasmania have also made some headway, there have been no other developments in jurisdictions. 

Advocates call for national consistency

“We continue to fall further behind the rest of the country, and renters are left exposed while the government delays action on the most basic and fundamental reforms,” she said.