Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Development
Media Release CLP fixing Labor's remote rent mess
6 February 2026
Housing Act amendments are necessary to comply with the High Court decision and fix Labor's mess.High Court of Australia decision on 3 December 2025 found that the previous Labor Government's Remote Rent Framework introduced in February 2023 to be invalid.The government will work with stakeholders to develop a new remote rent model that is fair and transparent for Territorians.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has passed amendments to the Housing Act to fix Labor's remote rent mess and provide certainty to remote communities on a remote rent framework.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Development, Steve Edgington, said the NT Government respected the High Court's decision, and the amendments were necessary.
"These amendments do no more than ensure the Housing Act can operate as intended and will allow for government to effectively set rent for public housing tenants.
"The amendments are necessary to comply with the High Court decision and fix Labor's mess.
"We are providing certainty to remote tenants that Labor failed to do. This will allow the government to maintain the present rent settings while we undertake significant consultation with remote communities, stakeholders and land councils to develop a remote rent model that maintains fairness and equity and has the best interests of all remote housing residents," Mr Edgington said.
As well, the government is providing security for remote residents as the Department will commence a process to calculate the rent that tenants were liable to pay since the implementation of the Remote Rent Framework and will repay amounts if tenants have paid above that amount.
