Michael Ferguson,Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is transforming Tasmania's economy through initiatives designed to develop the State, with significant levels of public and private sector investment paving the way for long term certainty and confidence in the State's building and construction industry.
Our $17.4 billion Infrastructure Project Pipeline provides a decade of construction certainty and represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to sustainably grow the building and construction industry here in Tasmania, along with its workforce, and deliver productive, value-for-money infrastructure, built by Tasmanian firms and workers for Tasmanians.
We are working closely together with the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF), Housing Industry Association, Master Builders Tasmania and other key stakeholders to ensure that a whole-of-government approach is adopted to the timing and delivery of the infrastructure investment outlined in our Pipeline.
Tasmania's economy has rebounded much faster and more strongly than predicted so it is important that the pipeline of public infrastructure investment flexes to accommodate the growing private investment.
Our commitment to create a Hi-Vis army to help deliver this work will provide even greater certainty, allowing the industry to reach new levels of employment with a target of a 25 per cent increase to the workforce over the next four years.
Over the past 100 days, the Government through Infrastructure Tasmania (ITas), has been working with industry to help shape the future pipeline of Government work to meet its own needs while also supporting the private sector in its post-COVID-19 recovery.
The outcome of this work with industry will included in the upcoming State Budget, ensuring the public sector work program is able to flex where required to provide industry capacity for the increasing amount of private sector development being driven.
The CCF is an important stakeholder in this work and has been working with us on its plan to grow the civil sector so it can train young Tasmanians to join the industry and enjoy well paid and rewarding careers.
To further boost construction certainty, and to open up more residential land for new homes, our headworks holiday policy, known as the Residential Land Rebate, will soon open with guidelines to be released tomorrow morning at 9.00am. Applications will then open on 7th September at 3pm.
This initiative will unlock more vacant land to transform paddocks into subdivisions, with all the services that people need to take the next step and build their dream home.
The Residential Land Rebate will assist and incentivise developers to bring new residential land to market by providing rebates to offset the cost of installing power, water and sewerage infrastructure to new lots. This scheme will incentivise the release of thousands of hectares of privately-owned vacant residential zoned land across Tasmania, which could deliver around 60,000 lots for residential development.
Rebates will be for amounts up to $10,000 per lot, up to a maximum of 40 lots per subdivision, comprised of two components:
- Power infrastructure (maximum $5,000 per lot); and
- Water and sewerage infrastructure (maximum $5,000 per lot).
A total of $15 million is available, with applications open until 30 June 2023, or when the funding has been exhausted, whichever is the soonest.
To receive the rebate, applicants will need to sign an agreement in which they confirm their intention to bring the land to market within 12 months of the rebate being paid.
As a Government, we are taking immediate action to remove barriers and costs to encourage further land activation. The Residential Land Rebate program will bring forward land for residential development, creating jobs in the civil and building construction sectors and increasing housing supply.
This support is on top of our $30 million Building Construction Support Loan Scheme, our $10 million Building Projects Support Program, and the $2.5 million ancillary dwellings program.
Our comprehensive plan is working which is why it has been warmly welcomed by industry and stakeholders, including the Civil Contractors Federation, Master Builders, Property Council and Housing Industry Association.
