Ms BURNET (Clark) – Deputy Speaker, I am glad Mr Behrakis finally circled back to the matter at hand, the matter of public importance, which is short‑stay accommodation and reining it in. The Minister for Housing and Planning has talked about being glad to have the debate. However, he should use his powers as the Minister for Housing and Planning to intervene when there is a crisis, and we are in the midst of a housing crisis. A very simple way of reining in that problem with availability of rental accommodation is to rein in short-stay accommodation.
Labor has been weak on this, as we saw from Dr Broad’s contribution. He has demonstrated, sadly, that Labor has dropped the ball on reining in short‑stay accommodation. This is an appalling position by Labor as well.
These are the simplest of solutions. It is a gift to the Minister for Housing. However, we are seeing this reluctance. It is all about the dollar. It is about that spend that supposedly comes with short‑stay accommodation. It sounds like the ability for somebody to be housed is much more complex. It is too nuanced, obviously, for the government and the opposition. It is important that people are housed. There is much greater economic benefit from a housed community, rather than a state facing the worst housing crisis we have ever seen.
Who would deny someone a roof over their head? It turns out that the minister, Mr Ellis, is effectively ruling out a roof over people’s heads because he would sooner have short‑stay accommodation availability, rather than reining that in. The government has some simple solutions at its fingertips to put roofs over Tasmanians’ heads. These are cheaper, faster solutions, if only they could see it, but apparently they cannot.
There are buildings that have been left vacant and there are those that are mini‑hotels in neighbourhoods across our state being used as short‑stay accommodation. For too long, the increase in short‑stay in residential areas has forced families out of housing. It has also hiked rental prices higher.
Local councils have been clear they want real solutions for their communities struggling with the cost of living and housing crises. It is time the Liberals, and Labor if they back them, prioritise housing for Tasmanians and reform the planning system to regulate short‑stay accommodation. It is easy, but there has been denial to do this by the former housing and planning minister, Mr Jaensch, and that continues with Mr Ellis.
The Local Government Association of Tasmania put out a position statement on housing in November 2024, saying:
Governments at all levels play a role in setting the market risks and incentives, like taxation policy, so that our housing market meets our needs, or otherwise must intervene by directly building new houses for release to market.
This is a long‑term strategy; changes to planning rules take a long time. This is simple.
Mr Behrakis interjecting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER – Order, Mr Behrakis.
Ms BURNET – It is so simple to change the rules for whole‑house short‑stay accommodation. Rein it in, that is all we are asking. It is a simple request from the Greens. It seems we are the only party that wants to do that and address these problems.
In summary, this is an appalling way for the Planning minister, Mr Ellis, to approach a problem he seems to do nothing about. Labor has no plan either and has walked away from reining in short‑stay accommodation. The Tasmanian government and, specifically, the minister, Mr Ellis, must dither no longer. A levy on whole‑home short‑stay accommodation, any disincentive, as Hobart City Council has done, for short‑stay in residential areas – you can thank me for that, Mr Behrakis ‑ is worth undertaking.
Time expired.
