The High Court has declared the Northern Territory’s Remote Rental Framework unlawful. This policy set flat rent based on home size and affected more than 5,300 remote Indigenous homes. The government raised rents by up to 200% for two-thirds of Aboriginal tenants. The court ruled the previous Labor government failed to give tenants proper notice or a chance to respond, breaching the Housing Act. The ruling found the rent changes were made without tenant consultation, leading to "jurisdictional error," said the court. The plaintiffs, residents from Gunbalanya and Laramba, began their challenge in September 2022. Attorney Dan Kelly, representing the tenants, said, "The Northern Territory government has to go back and it has to speak to tenants – and they have to speak to communities – and work out what a fair and appropriate rent system looks like." He criticized the government for ignoring tenant views and stressed, "The court has upheld this strong presumption in the common law... that our government can’t exercise power over your rights without talking to you." The total yearly rent increase was $9.7 million. A government briefing had claimed consultations since 2018 and argued the new system was simpler than income-based rents used elsewhere. Territory minister Steve Edgington acknowledged the ruling and said the government is "considering options" for a new rental framework. In 2022, $68 million in rental debt was wiped for remote Indigenous communities after legal challenges highlighted poor housing conditions.