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Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has called the housing commitments made at the recent national cabinet meeting “a good result for Tasmania”.
Mr Rockliff, who was the lone Liberal head at the table among Labor state and territory leaders, came out strongly in favour of the agreements made to address the nation’s housing shortage.
He signalled that the state would be competitive in creating its share of the 1.2 million homes the government has set as a new goal for building over five years, with states set to be rewarded from a $5 billion fund for any homes they produce above their portion of the original 1 million target.
Tasmania committed to “increasing supply each and every day”
Mr Rockliff said his state is “well placed to secure its fair share” of the funding, describing the ways in which his government has worked to ramp up building capacity.
“Our government has a strong record of delivering more homes because of innovative reforms we’ve introduced including Homes Tasmania, MyHome and our social and affordable housing target,” Mr Rockliff said.
According to the Premier, the government has delivered 551 homes as part of its Homes Tasmania initiative aimed at building social and affordable dwellings, with 1,000 more currently in the pipeline. The state aims to build 10,000 new social and affordable homes by 2032.
Mr Rockliff also reported the government’s shared equity scheme has supported 162 households to become home owners.
Ensuring the Tasmanian workforce is skilled up to support this building has been key in the state’s productivity, according to the Premier.
“We have also helped to drive the workforce we need to build these homes, with a 41 per cent increase in construction trades apprentices and trainees in training since 2018,” he said.
Ahead on planning reforms
In terms of the National Planning Blueprint that states committed during the meeting, Mr Rockliff described Tasmania as “ahead of the pack”, adding that “many of the reforms being discussed at a national level have already been delivered” in his state.
“We have already established a ‘no permit required’ framework, which allows for single dwellings in a residential zone to be signed off in a matter of days.
“Through our Housing Land Supply Act, we have provided a streamlined process for the rezoning of land for social and affordable housing.
“We recently announced that we will be developing a new decision-making pathway to allow some planning decisions to be made by an independent expert panel rather than the elected members of a council – to take the politics out of planning.
“Through our Tasmanian Planning Policies, which will soon be in effect, and our ongoing review of the regional land use strategies, we are delivering the strategic oversight that our planning system needs,” he explained.
Seven out of nine on renters’ rights
On the issue of renters rights, he said his government is also well positioned to deliver on the commitments, with many of the proposals already adopted.
“Today, a nine-point Better Deal for Renters was agreed at national cabinet, and I am proud to say that Tasmania largely already delivers on seven of these measures,” Mr Rockliff said.
“We will take a look at the remaining measures, namely appeals against retaliatory evictions and privacy protections, and consult with all relevant stakeholders on the best next steps.”
He stressed that “with around one in three Tasmanians renting, we understand the importance of continuing to ensure we strike the right balance for both renters and owners”.
“There is always more work to be done, but we are clearly on the right track and our long-term plan is delivering on what matters most for Tasmanians, including more homes.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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