The pandemic has made paying the rent hard for many Victorians.

But thanks to a shared partnership between tenants, landlords and government, thousands of Victorians have been able to negotiate a fair reduction in rent.

In fact, as of the start of this month, more than 57,000 tenants and landlords had registered a reduced rent agreement with Consumer Affairs Victoria.

The Victorian Budget 2020/21 will continue to provide ongoing support to help keep tenants in their homes, including $80 million set aside in April to give certainty for those Victorians facing financial hardship.

The Budget also provides a further $6 million, ensuring Consumer Affairs Victoria can continue to provide support through the Residential Tenancies Dispute Resolution Scheme and the Residential Tenancy Relief Scheme.

To help vulnerable tenants, an additional $600,000 was announced and has been provided to advocacy groups to continue their crucial work providing assistance throughout the pandemic, including support for Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Victorian hospitality venues have also struggled during this pandemic. To help this important industry get back on its feet, a dedicated Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund of $251 million has been made available to get licensed hospitality venues ready for COVID Normal – and Victorians safely back into the venues they love.

Licensed venues will also have their 2020 and 2021 licence fees waived – putting money back into the pockets of business owners.

The Labor Government also wants to make sure Victorians building or renovating their homes have confidence that their engineering work meets an established and high standard.

That’s why $4.9 million will support the sector’s Professional Engineers Registration Scheme to become operational. The scheme will ensure that engineers who provide services to Victorians achieve, or exceed, a specified level of qualifications, experience and professional development.

The scheme will be in place for engineers who provide services in the structural, civil, electrical, mechanical and fire safety fields by the end of 2021.