Go Mr Common Sense

One thing which has intrigued me in recent months is how government MP Clayton Cosgrove is so anti real estate agents.

He seems to take whatever opportunity he can, even when he is overseas, to get stuck into real estate agents, labeling them all "land sharks" and implying they are just rip-off merchants.

Sure there are some dodgy ones, some questionable practices and some issues around the way agents are policed, but....are they all dodgy?

Clayton's language makes great sound bites for telly and radio, but isn't warranted.
Last week, after select committee hearings on the new real estate agent legislation, he was up to his same old tricks. However, United Future leader, Peter Dunne, (who calls himself Mr Common Sense) played a card not many expected.

In a release which has probably gone unreported, he says the United Future party "will withdraw its support for the Real Estate Agents Bill...unless there are major changes to the legislation and the sponsoring minister, Clayton Cosgrove, adopts a more consultative attitude."

"It was clear from today's Morning Report interview that Mr Cosgrove is maintaining a belligerent, bully boy attitude towards the Real Estate Institute, and his claims to be consulting with the Institute are undermined by his inability even to get the name of the Institute's President right," he said.

There is no doubt that the real estate industry needs better processes to clear out the sharks and the dodgy operators, but that won't be achieved by bellowing at everyone and listening to no-one.