Today, the Homes Tasmania Bill 2022 and Homes Tasmania (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022, passed the House of Assembly.
The Bill, which replaces the Homes Act 1935, has been shaped by feedback from the housing, homelessness and building and construction sectors. That feedback has also informed a draft Ministerial Statement of Expectations for the new Authority which has also been tabled in Parliament to inform debate.
Homes Tasmania will have an asset base of $3.5 billion, making it one of the largest government-owned entities in Tasmania. Importantly, it will have significant powers to leverage these assets to increase the supply of housing for Tasmanians.
It will be able to be agile, flexible and innovative in delivering the homes Tasmanians need, when and where they need them.
Homes Tasmania will provide a dedicated focus on housing, with strong, experienced leadership and the ability to draw on representative, diverse and specialist views in guiding its decision-making and addressing our housing challenges.
Unlike our current model, it will have an increased role and focus in considering not just social and affordable housing, but how the broader housing market operates and how, including creating liveable communities.
We must evolve the way we deliver services, including the type of services that are needed, and the houses we build. We need a contemporary, modern structure that can optimise our ability to deliver what Tasmanians need today and improve our housing choices for the future.
Homes Tasmania reflects the importance of having not just a roof over your head, but also a place to call home.
It is a critical step in delivering our Government's 10-year, $1.5 billion plan to deliver 10,000 new homes for Tasmanians by 2032.
This is the biggest investment in housing in Tasmania's history and provides $538 million in capital funding for social and affordable housing over the next four years, including $204 million in this year alone.
Homes Tasmania will provide Tasmanians with the most integrated and cohesive housing system in the country, with the legislation now to progress to the Legislative Council
