Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader and Housing spokesperson
Tasmania’s public housing waiting list has more than doubled since the Liberals took government, and now new government figures* show the average waiting time to house priority applicants is now an appalling 18 months.
When the Liberals were elected 7 years ago, they inherited from a Greens Minister the shortest housing waiting list in a decade – 2,183 applicants. The waiting list has now ballooned to 4,506 applicants (and counting).
Priority applicants on the housing register are now waiting for a home for a year and a half on average. Tragically, we’re aware of cases where the wait is much longer.
The Liberals have tried every trick in the book to pretend they bear no responsibility for the housing crisis in Tasmania, but their own data betrays the truth. Their dogged refusal to do what is necessary to tackle these issues has left thousands of struggling Tasmanians languishing in hardship for years on end.
The Premier and Housing Minister have made their priorities clear. They’ll do everything they can to line the pockets of their corporate mates – like those in the pokies industry – while largely ignoring the still-deepening housing crisis.
Any government serious about putting the Tasmanian people first would commit to building 10,000 new homes in the next 10 years, would put strong limits on short stay accommodation, and would make sure tenants had genuine protection from unreasonable rent increases and evictions.
Unfortunately for thousands of Tasmanians, Peter Gutwein and Michael Ferguson refuse to even consider these crucial steps, let alone take the actions so desperately needed.
*Department of Communities Housing dashboard for October, available here.
