A Majority Labor Government will spend more than $195 million to build an additional 2,000 new social houses over the next six years in addition to what is already funded in the budget.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said Labor is determined to address the unprecedented housing and homelessness crisis created by the Liberals.
Ms White said while the Gutwein Government had utterly failed and forced thousands of Tasmanians on to housing wait lists for years, Labor's housing package was one of the biggest commitments ever supporting vulnerable Tasmanian families.
"It's shocking and heartbreaking that the Liberal Government has allowed the housing situation to get to this point - a point where more than 3,800 Tasmanian families are languishing on a waiting list and, on average, even families considered the most urgent need will wait for more than a year to be housed," Ms White said.
"Peter Gutwein - dating back seven years from his time as Treasurer - has never made housing Tasmanians a priority. He has dismissed concerns about rent prices, failed to build enough public housing and even evicted families into homelessness.
"A Labor Government will step in where Peter Gutwein and the Liberals have so comprehensively failed.
"We will commit $195.7 million to partner with the community sector to build 2,000 new social houses over the next six years. This is on top of what has already been funded in the budget.
"That will help more than 4,600 Tasmanians get a roof over their heads and create more than 1,700 jobs in construction and with Labor's commitment to provide free TAFE in the areas of most need, we will train the workforce to undertake that work.
"Labor will immediately address the chaos and anguish the Liberals have created with their neglect of housing and homelessness."
Shadow Housing Minister Alison Standen said it was shameful and beyond unacceptable that the Liberals had allowed the public housing wait list to increase by 75 per cent since they assumed government in 2014.
"The terrible fact is this government increased the number of social housing properties by just five new houses over a year between 2019 and 2020," Ms Standen said.
"And despite promising 80 new houses each year from the Commonwealth Housing Debt Waiver they have built zero.
"That gives Tasmanians an abundantly clear picture of the low priority the Liberals place on housing.
"The Liberal party inherited a record low housing wait list and a wait time of 20 weeks seven years ago when they took office - that wait time has now skyrocketed to an average of 54 weeks for the most urgent cases.
"With thousands of families now facing a very bleak winter, only Labor is dedicated to putting roofs over Tasmanian family's heads and building for the future."
Today's announcement builds on Labor's plan to install solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades in social housing properties to build safer, more energy efficient homes and save tenants money on their bills.
Under Labor's Better Living in Social Housing initiative, $17.5 million will be allocated towards installing solar panels, heat pumps and fixing the public housing maintenance backlog over two years.
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
Alison Standen MP
Shadow Housing Minister
