Thousands of Tasmanian families unable to afford to pay rapidly increasing rents and in many cases facing homelessness, are right to be horrified and in disbelief at the Premier's out of touch attitude toward housing affordability.
Shadow Housing Minister Alison Standen said it defies understanding that Peter Gutwein does not believe residential rents are too high in Hobart and Launceston as Tasmania faces the worst rental and housing crisis in history.
Rental affordability across Tasmania is the worst in the country due to a combination of a lack of rental properties and high rental prices relative to low average incomes in Tasmania.
Around one in three households are private rentals and the median renter is in rental stress, spending at least 30 percent of household income on rent.
Rent has increased by 37 per cent statewide over the past five years and eight percent in the past year alone.
"There was a rental crisis prior to the pandemic, which is set to get worse with Commonwealth income support payments ending and Tasmanians experiencing the highest unemployment in the country," Ms Standen said.
"It is simply a dumbfounding attitude from a Premier who is presiding over a rental crisis, a housing crisis and a homelessness crisis.
"Clearly the Premier has buried his head in the sand – he should know that thousands of families are struggling to the pay the rent to a point where they are sacrificing other necessities like food and medication.
"It shows just how little priority the Premier places on providing housing and explains why he has allowed his incompetent Housing Minister Roger Jaensch to preside over failure after failure in this crucial area of their responsibility.
"The latest data released last month shows that of the 3,600 families on the public housing waiting list, almost 2,500 are in the greatest need and overcrowding in social housing has doubled over the past year.
"Either Mr Gutwein has not bothered to read these reports or he chooses not to care."
Alison Standen MP
Shadow Minister for Housing
