Sydney and Melbourne showed an increase in rents in the past 12 months of 2.4% and 1.8% respectively.
The Housing Group CPI increased 3.4% for the year to December 2017 with the major increases in the electricity (up 12.4%), gas and other household fuels (up 7.2%) and rates and charges (up 2.6%).
These latest figures show that the increased investment in housing has kept the growth in rents lower than they have been historically and is evidence that the current taxation arrangements benefit renters, and that any change would see an increase in rents.