Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader and Housing spokesperson, 29 October 2021
Housing Waitlist More Than Doubles Under Liberals
Tasmania’s public housing waiting list has now more than doubled since the Liberals took government, government data released today confirms.
When the Liberals took office in 2014, they inherited from a Greens Minister the shortest housing waiting list in a decade – 2,183 applicants. The waiting list has now ballooned to 4,468 applicants.
These are just the Tasmanians who’ve registered for housing support. There are tens of thousands more in real housing stress in an unaffordable, dog-eat-dog private rental market.
The Liberals have tried to use every trick in the book to pretend they bear no responsibility for the housing crisis in Tasmania, but the raw data doesn’t lie. They have overseen a devastating increase in the number of Tasmanians waiting in hardship for a safe and affordable place to call home.
This government has repeatedly ignored the demands of the community sector – who see the consequences of housing insecurity and homelessness up close – and the urgency of the housing crisis. It’s shameful.
Rather than focusing on delivering the social housing Tasmania needs, the Liberals have focused on pork barreling and policies designed to line the pockets of their corporate mates. They just don’t care enough about struggling Tasmanians, a truth more evident than usual this week particularly, after the passage of the lethal gambling legislation through the lower house.
If Premier Peter Gutwein was serious about the housing crisis, he’d show some real leadership and commit to building 10,000 new homes in the next ten years, put strong limits on short stay accommodation, and act to protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases and evictions.
Ella Haddad MP, Shadow Housing Minister, 29 October 2021
Ferguson surpasses his own reckless record in absolute housing failure
The number of Tasmanian families languishing on Tasmania’s historically high social housing waitlist has reached a devastating new record under Housing Minister Michael Ferguson.
Shadow Housing Minister Ella Haddad said the latest government data released today shows the waiting list has grown to a new record of 4,468 families.
“That’s an increase of more than 100 families in just the past month alone,” Ms Haddad said.
“It continues a tragic, heartbreaking trend under this Liberal Government which – all Tasmanians can now see – simply does not place any priority on housing Tasmanians who need it most.
“Michael Ferguson is known to Tasmanians as a failed Health Minister but now he seems determined to also have the record as the Minister who kept thousands of families out of housing and, at worst, forced thousands to the brink of homelessness.
“The average time to house even the most priority applicants for housing has also blown out to a massive 74 weeks, up from the historic record low of 26 weeks when the Liberals assumed government – that’s almost a year longer for even the most urgent of cases.
“Additionally, the government and Mr Ferguson’s mantra as being a building government is a pitiful, heartbreaking hoax – in the past year this Minister has built just 183 new social properties and absolutely no homelessness accommodation.
“When you also consider the number of times requests for emergency accommodation at shelters were turned away jumped from 15,221 in 2019-20 to 18,421 in 2020-21, it’s absolutely clear the Liberals place no priority on housing and homelessness.
“Premier Peter Gutwein cannot allow Mr Ferguson to bungle yet another portfolio.
“There is too much at risk and the Liberals must finally get serious, stop the spin and tell Tasmania what they are going to do to address this debacle.”
