Mr BAYLEY (Clark) – Deputy Speaker, I rise to give the Greens Party contribution to this important bill, the Taxation Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2024. I indicate upfront that we support the bill.
We know that the housing market across the state is incredibly tight and incredibly challenging. Anything we can do to increase supply, particularly in the medium‑density area such as units and so forth, is a very good thing.
I notice the point that rather than bringing forward a new amendment, this bill extends its commitments via an order, which we think is a very good thing. In fact, we made that suggestion last week when we were debating the other related bill that the Treasurer spoke about in his second reading speech. We welcome this as it should save the parliament’s time, since it should just be a simple matter of issuing an order to continue some of the initiatives here. It is something we think can be considered for other stamp duty related initiatives.
Obviously, the housing market is tight across the state and we need to do a number of different things. While this is very welcome, we do not think this is enough. We note the Treasurer’s comment about already having implemented measures aimed at increasing housing supply and improving Tasmania’s rental market. What we have seen, particularly when it comes to the rental market, is very much tinkering around the edges. We have a rental crisis and renters and their rights are under significant pressure at the moment, and we need to see more action taken to support their sustainability in living in the properties they have. We are on the record having tried in this place to initiate legislation that helps to control rents so people can have some security when it comes to the properties they are in, and both Labor and Liberal have joined together to defeat those initiatives.
We want to see Airbnb significantly reined in. This is still an outstanding issue and the additional tax that you have placed on Airbnb guests to be to be levied through hosts and through the Airbnb service is again tinkering around the edges. It is not doing enough to address the fact that Airbnb and short-stay accommodation is stripping significant amounts of long‑term rentals out of the market. If we are going to take these housing issues seriously, we really do need to address Airbnb and short-stay accommodation.
We also need to be increasing investment in social and affordable housing. It is a related issue. For every person we can get into their own home or their own rental, we are removing pressure on social and affordable housing. It has to be said as part of this debate that we currently have record statistics when it comes to Homes Tasmania and the data they report in relation to social and affordable housing.
In April we had 4727 applications on the wait list for social housing in Tasmania. That is not 4727 people, that is applications that would be increased by a factor of I do not know what in relation to people who need accommodation. One of those applications may relate to a five-person family, so we are not talking 4700 people, we are talking significantly more than that. The average time that they are waiting today is 90 weeks – 90 weeks to get housed in public and social housing.
Opposition members – Shame.
Mr BAYLEY – It is a shame, those Labor members on my right, and it is something that this government needs to do more about. We support a strategy of building 10,000 homes by 2030, but we do not see the corresponding commitment in the budget delivering on that. Time will tell how Homes Tasmania does and how these kinds of austerity measures the government is currently rolling out across a variety of services affect Homes Tasmania’s ability to either pay for or administer the builds they are working towards. We certainly want to see more money invested in social housing so that people who cannot get into the rental market or cannot take up the benefits that are delivered via this bill have something to fall back on.
I would like to make one last point. The initiatives here around stimulating investment, purchases off the plan and delivering tax benefits for people is very welcome, but we need a suite of initiatives in this space. There are completely non-housing-related initiatives that this government could be taking, big infrastructure investments which would stimulate infill housing and medium-density housing. One of those examples is light rail on the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor in nipaluna/Hobart to the northern suburbs. We have a ready-made rail corridor there which is ready for light rail. All of the evidence shows that light rail will deliver the best outcome when it comes to medium-density development and urban renewal, way better than rapid buses which is the government’s option, and yet it seems this government is happy to settle on second best.
Taxation incentives are well and good. We will support this bill, but we need to see a more holistic strategy from this government when it comes to housing. That includes social and affordable housing, reining in rents and giving renters real rights, and infrastructure investments that stimulate medium and indeed higher-density investment and urban renewal across our urban areas already developed here in the state.
I will leave it there. We will support the bill but urge the Treasurer and the government to continue to engage their minds on initiatives that can protect renters, deliver more homes for those that need government help to own a home and get people into owning their own home.
