从社区到议会：APOA房东声音被听见 - Australia Property Owners Alliance

Following a face-to-face forum with more than 80 Chinese-speaking property owners, concerns raised with Matthew Guy MP were subsequently taken into the Victorian Parliament, accompanied by a call for the Minister for Consumer Affairs to engage directly with the community.

APOA Releases 2026 Victorian Chinese Property Owners Survey, with VCAT delays and rental supply emerging as the forum's central concerns.

Melbourne, 13 June 2026

On the afternoon of 13 June, around 80 Chinese-speaking property owners gathered in Doncaster, Melbourne, for a face-to-face discussion with Victorian Liberal MP and former party leader Matthew Guy. Twelve bilingual questions had been prepared, but the formal agenda quickly gave way to questions from the floor. Rather than abstract policy arguments, attendees focused on issues they may encounter every day: Why does VCAT take so long? What remedies are available when a rental property is damaged? Is it still worthwhile for ordinary household investors to provide rental housing?

Survey Shows Investment Confidence Under Pressure

At the forum, APOA volunteer Keith presented findings from a survey of Chinese-speaking property owners. Respondents expressed broad concern about the current rental environment:

73.2% said they may reduce rental supply, sell property or leave the market in the future;
Nearly 90% held a negative or very negative view of the current policy environment;
83.1% believed that accountability mechanisms for tenant breaches or property damage have significant shortcomings.

The survey suggests that the community's concern is not limited to any single tax or policy. Instead, accumulated uncertainty is gradually weakening the willingness of ordinary household investors to continue supplying rental homes.

Keith told the forum:

“The question is not whether tenants should be protected. The question is whether Victoria can protect tenants while still making private rental supply worthwhile. When more small property owners leave the market, tenants are ultimately affected as well.”

VCAT Becomes the Main Focus of Discussion

Although the forum began with 12 priority topics, the open discussion increasingly focused on the practical operation of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Attendees shared experiences including:

Repeated adjournments, with cases taking months or even more than a year;
Compensation awards that remained well below the actual cost of repairs, even after a successful claim;
High costs involved in pursuing remedies after tenant-caused property damage;
Property owners abandoning claims because of the time and financial burden.

One attendee described extensive pet-related damage to an investment property, with repair costs far exceeding the bond. Several property owners said that the difficulty was not knowing how to pursue a claim, but concluding that the cost of doing so was no longer worthwhile.

Matthew Guy: Policy Should Not Create “Winners and Losers”

Responding to the concerns raised, Matthew Guy said that most Victorian property owners are not large institutions, but ordinary household investors who own one or two properties.

He stated: “No one should lose.”

He argued that rental policy should not treat tenants and property owners as opposing sides, but should seek a balance that protects tenants while maintaining housing supply.

On VCAT efficiency, bond arrangements and compliance costs, he said these practical issues deserved serious discussion, noting that some improvements may be administrative and may not require legislative change.

Matthew Guy undertook to compile the key concerns raised at the forum and put them to the relevant ministers in Parliament that week. He also expressed an interest in reporting back to the APOA community on future developments.

From WeChat Discussions to Public Dialogue

APOA currently connects several online communities of Chinese-speaking property owners, with more than 4,000 members in total.

Many attendees said this was their first opportunity to present long-standing practical concerns directly to a policymaker. Questions about VCAT delays, rental risks, housing supply and planning approvals moved from scattered WeChat conversations into a public forum.

For APOA, the event was not intended to answer every question. Its purpose was to encourage more informed discussion and mutual understanding.

“Life will not change immediately because of one forum, but at least we know we are not the only ones going through these experiences,” one participant said after the event.

About APOA

The Australian Property Owners Alliance (APOA) is a volunteer-led community for Chinese-speaking property owners. It promotes informed dialogue and experience sharing between property owners, professionals and policymakers. APOA currently connects more than 4,000 community members and regularly organises forums, seminars, surveys and online knowledge initiatives.

Media Enquiries
Australian Property Owners Alliance (APOA)
Email: apoa@apoa.org.au
Website: www.apoa.org.au

Update: Community Concerns Raised in Parliament

Following publication of the original release, there was a significant further development.

Matthew Guy MP, who had promised at the APOA forum to take the community's concerns back to Parliament, subsequently referred to APOA in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He called on the Minister for Consumer Affairs to engage with the community and listen to the experiences and views of ordinary small investors and property-owning families.

From WeChat discussions, to questions raised at a community forum, and then to a public statement in Parliament, the voices of ordinary community members are gradually entering the public policy debate.

Will the Minister for Consumer Affairs respond? Will there be further cross-party dialogue? Can these discussions contribute to a more balanced and practical rental policy?