As the housing crisis in Tasmania continues to worsen, there is absolutely no doubt that more needs to be done - and urgently. However, removing Housing Tasmania from the public sector and shifting the responsibility to a new statutory authority will not improve the situation.
There are hundreds of Tasmanians who sleep rough each night right now, and are living in constant stress due to the current housing shortage both in the private and public and community sector.
The housing legislation before Parliament simply shifts responsibility from the public sector to a new body with a commercial board, without giving that new body any new powers additional to the powers currently held by Housing Tasmania.
Meanwhile, the new statutory body will sit at arm's length from government, removing the fundamental ethical responsibility of housing provision from government and placing a commercial board over the work of the new body - a fundamental departure from the history of government housing provision.
The Government says the new body will be able to get houses out of the ground faster, but there are actually real dangers in the bill that mean there could in fact be more stumbling blocks in the way of housing supply, not less.
The government has not explained how their bill will help Tasmanians sleeping in their cars, couch surfing, or living in other dangerous conditions right now. It seems all this Government is trying to do is shift the responsibility on to someone else.
The Liberal Government has failed to get the basics right on housing for nearly a decade, and this latest policy from the struggling new Premier risks making the crisis even worse.
Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Minister for Housing
