Opinion: Why a new bill to fix basic home efficiency should not be rejected by SA govt
The government and opposition look set to reject a new bill on Wednesday aiming to give renters basic rights on getting doors sealed and homes more efficient. SA’s Better Renting deputy CEO Bernie Barrett is backed by heavy hitters including SA Power Networks in calling for a rethink.
For many South Australians, 2025 has been another year of juggling bills, cutting back, and worrying about what comes next. The rising cost of rent, food, and energy is putting immense strain on households across the state — and renters are bearing the brunt of it.
This week, the government has the opportunity to address these cost-of-living pressures through reforms that improve the quality and efficiency of rental homes.
The Residential Tenancies (Minimum Standards) Amendment Bill 2024 is set to be debated in the South Australian Parliament on the 12th of November – legislation that would make rental homes more affordable, liveable, and sustainable.
Yet despite years of advocacy and clear evidence supporting reform, it’s looking like the government and opposition will reject the bill, leaving thousands of renters living in inefficient, costly, and unhealthy homes.
For renters, rising energy bills are not just a financial burden — they’re a daily reminder of how unfair the housing system can be. Many live in older homes that leak heat in winter, trap it in summer, and require more energy to stay comfortable. Yet renters have almost no control over fixing those problems.
Unlike homeowners, they can’t decide to insulate ceilings, they can’t make significant repairs that stop draughts, or replace inefficient appliances. They rely on landlords to make those improvements, but without minimum standards, there’s little incentive to do so.
That’s why the reforms proposed in this bill are so important. They offer a practical, evidence-based way to lift housing quality and reduce energy costs for renters, while improving the resilience of the entire housing system.
The South Australian Government has made real progress on renters’ rights, but the work is incomplete. Minimum energy efficiency standards are essential to ensuring that every home in the state — regardless of who owns it — is safe, healthy, and affordable to live in.
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These reforms are not about imposing unrealistic expectations or forcing landlords to install expensive technology. They’re about the basics: ensuring that doors and windows seal properly, that there’s functional insulation, and that homes have heating and cooling systems that are efficient enough to keep a home comfortable.
"As South Australia’s electricity distributor, we see firsthand how energy efficiency contributes to affordability and reliability for all customers. Ensuring homes are thermally efficient and comfortable not only helps lowers bills but also helps manage demand peaks and the costs of supplying electricity across the network.” – SA Power Networks"
At the moment, too many rental properties fail even these simple tests. Renters are left paying hundreds of dollars extra each year just to keep their homes at a healthy temperature — if they can even afford it. Introducing minimum standards would address this inequity and ensure that landlords meet a fair baseline of responsibility for the homes they rent out.
South Australia is now lagging well behind the rest of the country when it comes to these reforms. The ACT and Victoria have already introduced minimum rental standards that include energy efficiency and safety measures, while other jurisdictions are exploring them. These jurisdictions show that the reforms are not only achievable but that they work.
In Victoria, for instance, landlords are required to meet basic heating and weatherproofing standards, and reviews have found no negative impacts on the rental market. In fact, since 2020, Melbourne has gone from the second most expensive rental market in Australia to the most affordable of the five mainland state capitals.
There’s been no evidence of rent spikes or mass withdrawals of properties, and renters are reporting better comfort and lower bills. Meanwhile, South Australian renters are still waiting for the same basic protections. Our state once led the nation in social progress and fairness — now we’re falling behind.
This reform would not only benefit renters today but would also strengthen South Australia’s housing system for decades to come. Improving the energy performance of homes is one of the most effective ways to deliver lasting cost-of-living relief.
Simple upgrades such as insulation, efficient hot water systems, and draught sealing can cut energy bills by hundreds of dollars a year, delivering savings that persist for as long as the property stands. And the benefits extend beyond the property itself: when homes use less energy, the whole system becomes cheaper, more stable and more resilient — for everyone.
South Australia’s housing supply crisis is real — and the government’s focus on new builds is welcome. But building more homes won’t fix the cost-of-living crisis if the homes people already live in remain inefficient and unaffordable to run.
If we don’t ensure that existing homes stay liveable and affordable into the future, we risk losing current stock and compounding the crisis over time. Retrofitting our current housing stock is just as important as increasing supply. Failing to do both will leave us with a growing number of households trapped in substandard homes that undermine health, comfort, and financial stability.
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The government still has time to act. By committing to meaningful minimum standards, it can lift conditions for renters, create fairer housing, and strengthen the state’s energy and cost-of-living resilience. If they remain committed to voting against the Residential Tenancies (Minimum Standards) Amendment Bill 2024 this Wednesday, then they need to offer an alternative solution for the state’s inadequate and inefficient rental homes.
Recent reforms showed that South Australia can deliver bold, fair, and evidence-based changes to improve renters’ lives. But if we stop here, that progress will be undermined by inaction on liveability and affordability. The government has a chance to finish what it started, and ensure that every South Australian renter can live in a home that is healthy, affordable, and fit for the future.
This is the moment to lead, not lag. Let’s not waste it.
Bernie Barrett is the deputy CEO of Better Renting and a South Australian resident.
Anti-Poverty Network SA:
“People on low incomes are already skipping meals, turning off heaters, and cutting back on essentials just to keep a roof over their heads. They shouldn’t also have to live in homes that are freezing in winter or sweltering in summer. Minimum standards are about basic fairness — everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live.”
Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC):
“The introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes represents a critical and much needed measure to ensure that all South Australians—regardless of tenure—can live in homes that are safe, healthy, and affordable to heat and cool.
Minimum standards will provide a minimum acceptable level of amenity for rental homes. They are critical for improving the health of renters, the climate resilience of their homes, achieving decarbonisation of SA’s built environment, and relieving cost of living pressures for renters.”
South Australian Council of Social Services (SACOSS):
“In a cost-of-living crisis, the poor energy efficiency of South Australian rental homes exacerbates energy and housing affordability issues. People are being forced to choose between paying for energy, rent, or other essentials such as food and medication. These minimum standards would improve the quality of life of thousands of South Australians currently living in properties that are unsafe, unaffordable, and unhealthy.”
SA Power Networks:
“SA Power Networks supports the Residential Tenancies (Minimum Standards) Amendment Bill 2024, and the intent of reforms that improve the quality, safety, and energy efficiency of South Australian rental homes.
Minimum efficiency standards are a practical way to help reduce energy costs, enhance wellbeing, and strengthen our state’s energy resilience.
As South Australia’s electricity distributor, we see firsthand how energy efficiency contributes to affordability and reliability for all customers. Ensuring homes are thermally efficient and comfortable not only helps lowers bills but also helps manage demand peaks and the costs of supplying electricity across the network.”
