Thorp Overseas as Homes Shortage Grows

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today slammed the ongoing failure of the Bartlett Government to manage the demand for public housing, saying that the latest performance data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that the housing waiting list has increased dramatically from 2750 in September 2008 to 3162 as at 30 September 2009, and that the average time to secure housing has risen from 18 weeks to 23 weeks for the same period.

Greens Housing spokesperson Tim Morris MP said that despite the Bartlett Government continuing to trumpet that Tasmania has the strongest economy in the country there are an increasing number of people who are going without affordable housing and they are also having to wait a greater length of time in order to secure housing.

“It is unacceptable that at a time when there has never been more money promised by both the Federal and State Labor governments, that the Bartlett government cannot address the growing need for affordable housing in Tasmania,” Mr Morris said.

“These latest figures are an indictment when the housing waiting list has risen from 2750 in September last year, to 3162 at the end of September this year. These figures are going in the wrong direction, and so is Labor.”

“It is clear that this government is incapable of constructing or acquiring anywhere enough housing to meet the demand, which raises serious questions about what on earth have they been doing all this time.”

“Interestingly there are slightly less people in public housing than there were last year which makes it even more puzzling that the waiting lists have grown to such an extent given the constant stream of media releases from Minister Thorp talking about there being many new homes being constructed.”

“There is something seriously wrong with the management of public housing by the Bartlett Government and a thorough investigation is required into what is going wrong,” Mr Morris said.

Reference:
http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/news_and_
media/dhhs_progress_chart_november_2009
Tim Morris MP Greens Housing spokesperson