Media release – Guy Barnett, Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing, 28 May 2022
Delivering for all Tasmanians by boosting housing supply
The 2022-23 Tasmanian Budget is about strengthening Tasmania’s future, and it is delivering for all Tasmanians, including boosting our housing supply.
We know how important it is that Tasmanians have a place to call home and we are progressing with a range of initiatives to increase affordable housing and put downward pressure on rents.
One of these is our Ancillary Dwelling Grants Program, and we have just increased this program by $2.5 million in the 2022-23 State Budget, providing a total of $5 million to increase affordable housing.
Importantly, this will support the building of 500 new dwellings with grants available of $10,000 each.
Today, I met with Hanna and Jason who have recently completed a granny flat at their property with the assistance of our Ancillary Dwelling Grants Program, enabling them to rent it to long term tenants, providing another home for Tasmanians.
I was pleased to see their beautiful new build showcasing what can be achieved on a small footprint without sacrificing quality.
Dwellings built under the program must be leased and tenanted for at least two years after they are built to qualify, and applicants must meet eligibility criteria. We have already supported almost 190 new dwellings and there is funding for another 310, so I would encourage Tasmanians to apply.
With Tasmania’s economic strength, increased employment, and growing population, this program is another example of the government taking immediate action to ensure more Tasmanians have greater access to safe and affordable housing options.
That’s why the Budget includes $538 million for social and affordable housing, with $204 million this year alone.
With that $204 million, we will build 1,169 homes this year, meeting our target of 1,500 by June 2023 and rising to a total of 10,000 new homes by 2032 as part of our 10-year $1.5 billion housing package. We also have a suite of additional housing assistance programs to help ease market pressure including:
*Boosting the First Home Owner Grant and introducing HomeBuilder Grants;
*Investing $15 million in a ‘Headworks Holiday’ for new residential subdivisions to unlock new land supply;
*Providing $9.25 million over three years to expand the Private Rental Incentives program;
*Introducing land tax and stamp duty reforms to enable more affordable homes to be developed;
*Investing additional funding into HomeShare (Housing Market Entry Program) to support Tasmanians to buy their own home; and
*Investing in comprehensive reviews of Tasmania’s three regional land use strategies.
This is just one of the many initiatives the Government is progressing to help boost housing supply and put downward pressure on rents, ensuring Tasmanians can have a place to call home.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government and our 2022-23 Budget are focused on delivering on the issues that matter to Tasmanians.
For further information or to apply for a grant, go to https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/grants_and_funding_opportunities/grants/ancillary_dwelling_grants_program.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 30 May 2022
Time to End the Cruel Housing Lies
A cruel lie is at the heart of Michael Ferguson’s first Budget as Treasurer.
It exposes eight years of broken promises and false hopes for Tasmanians looking for a secure, affordable home.
Eight years of promising to build thousands of new homes and delivering less than 600 as the housing crisis rages, driving Tasmanians into, and closer to, homelessness.
Over the past eight years, the Liberals have promised thousands of homes, but Productivity Commission data show only 578 additional properties have been delivered.
The latest State Budget continues the con. The Government’s big pre-budget announcement was for $1.1 billion over ten years into housing, but the actual budget delivers only $35 million, or 3%, of the big spending promised in the billion dollar headline.
No new money is allocated next financial year.
This is just the latest housing funding spin in the Liberals’ history of gaslighting Tasmanians to cover their inaction on housing.
In 2016-17, the Liberal Treasurer claimed the budget would construct “941 new homes” across the forward estimates, but the Productivity Commission confirms only 186 were added over this period.
In the following budget, Peter Gutwein said the Liberals were “already delivering on its commitment to build over 900 new homes”, when the data show Tasmanians suffered a net loss of 212 public and community homes.
In 2018-19, the Liberals said they would build 1,500 new homes, but so far there is only 697 reported – less than half of what was promised.
In the last 4 years, the number of liveable public homes, has decreased by 34 down to 6,944. And over this time, while the housing waiting list grows, the number of new households helped each year has also declined by nearly half, down from 759 to 401.
The Liberals’ housing promises are cynical trickery. Tasmanians without stable homes are suffering, and many people who have stable homes are struggling to afford them.
Housing is a human right, we have a crisis, and real people are suffering. It is not good enough to treat housing as a false good news story budget announceable, and to forget about actually delivering on your promises.
Fact sheet available here.
