Mr BAYLEY question to MINISTER for HOUSING and PLANNING, Mr WINCENT
The Liberal government has spent a decade failing to build enough public housing, refusing to strengthen renters’ rights or to rein in Airbnb. The consequences of that neglect are hitting harder than ever. In a new report, Anglicare says there’s been a shocking 88 per cent increase in the number of people sleeping rough – 88 per cent. There’s been a 54 per cent rise in people living in unsuitable dwellings and, most distressing, the number of children in families seeking support has grown by 60 per cent. These figures are truly heartbreaking. So many Tasmanians, including thousands of children, are unable to find a home.
Whatever sentiments you might express, this government is endorsing this hardship through your lack of meaningful action. When will you stop pretending to act on the housing crisis and start doing what it takes to make a real difference? Why won’t you set this as a priority over a billion-dollar stadium?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for his question. Short-stay accommodation is certainly an area of complicated measures right around the world. Over the last couple of months I have not been able to find any great solution in anything that I’ve read or anyone I’ve spoken to. We do know it is difficult to get accurate figures and as a mayor in a previous lifetime I realised just how many people were putting up their homes in various states for short‑stay accommodation.
We have learnt that a lot of the homes – I think it is 68 per cent – are homes that weren’t part of the rental market or available for any other form, but we understand that the pressure is there. We are talking with Hobart City Council. I think there’s something coming up in the next week, or it might be a fortnight. I apologise for not understanding the diary fully on that one; in some of their solutions they might have it. I spoke to the Planning Commission and the State Planning Office regarding various solutions to this and I must admit that I don’t have the perfect answer or have read or come across an answer anywhere around Australia or the world that has an immediate answer for this. People are investing in their own homes and if they see it as a way of supplementing their income, I fully endorse that.
Mr Bayley – Whole-home rentals are the issue.
Mr VINCENT – The issues we are facing with housing are right across the board. As I’ve explained earlier, I’m doing the very best I can with the knowledge that I have to solve those issues and will continue to do so, and this is part of what we need to adjust. I don’t mind admitting I don’t have the perfect solution to this, but I will continue to try to understand what we can do, either through legislation or understanding of making the situation probably a little bit better.
As to referring it to the cost of the stadium, governments have multiple roles in making sure the economy works and the future growth in the economy of Tasmania I firmly believe is centred around having major developments like the stadium, which drives the number of trainees, apprentices, construction, industry and everything else which bolsters the whole economy to be able to build more houses and have more social programs in place.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Mr BAYLEY – A supplementary question, Speaker?
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary question.
Mr BAYLEY – The minister managed to get to the stadium in the end and talked about that and not having perfect solutions for the range of issues across the board. Does he agree that setting housing as a priority over a billion-dollar stadium would improve the situation when it comes to the housing crisis?
The SPEAKER – Minister, do you have anything further to add to your answer?
Mr VINCENT – I’m surprised, Speaker, that we need to compare it to the stadium. We could also compare it to any part of the economy that we can take money out of to bolster up one part or the other.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER – Order. The only one who has the call is the minister.
Mr VINCENT – The government has the opportunity of making sure the economy works across all parts of education, health, construction and housing and social crisis, and we will work our way through those as best we can. That’s what I’ve offered. I’ve been very open about that, and I can’t be any simpler than that.
