Tasmania can’t wait until February 20 for local government to make a decision to join the State Government
in fixing water and sewerage headworks charges, as jobs and investment in the State are riding on a
resolution.
Spiralling developer charges are adding to Tasmania’s housing and construction woes, with reports of 1,000
per cent increases in charges since July 2012, according to the Property Council and Master Builders
Tasmania.
Executive Director of the Property Council Australia Tasmania Division, Mary Massina, said she had been
inundated with calls from investors in recent months over the issue of headworks charges.
“Put simply, these developer charges are stopping the creation of jobs and investment in Tasmania, with
investors turning their backs on the State and taking their money elsewhere,” Ms Massina said.
Executive Director of Master Builders Tasmania, Michael Kershbaum, said the State Government and the
Liberals had acknowledged that the charges acted as a handbrake on the economy and had put forward
solutions to fix it.
“However, local government is once again laying over the tracks by calling for more reviews and using other
delaying tactics,” Mr Kershbaum said.
“At a time when our unemployment rate is over 40 per cent above the national average, you would think
that local government would do everything in its power to stimulate jobs and growth in the economy,
instead of attempting to wash its hands of the issue.”
Ms Massina said 29 councils were set to receive $58 million in dividends from TasWater this financial year
and next, making the $3 million they had been asked to contribute look trivial.
“For the sake of Tasmania’s biggest private sector industry and for the sake of investment in this State, local
government has a responsibility to act quickly on this issue, or else it will be seen as anti-investment and
only worried about its own hip pocket.”
Executive Director of the Property Council Australia Tasmania Division, Mary Massina
