The Rockliff Government welcomes additional funding for housing in Tasmania that was announced at Federal Cabinet today.
“National Cabinet was a good result for Tasmania,” Premier Rockiff said.
“Tasmania is strongly placed to secure its fair share of the newly announced $3 billion New Home Bonus, which will help us to deliver even more homes for Tasmanians.
“Under our long-term plan, we are delivering significant reforms to address the single biggest issue in housing: supply.
“There is still more work to do, but it was clear at National Cabinet today that Tasmania is already leading the way on housing, planning and rights for renters.
“Our Government has a strong record of delivering more homes, because of innovative reforms we’ve introduced including Homes Tasmania, MyHome and our social and affordable housing target.
“Since it commenced in December 2022 our nation-leading Homes Tasmania has already delivered 551 homes to June, including a record 276 new homes in that month alone, and delivery is ramping up. Homes Tasmania has nearly 1000 more long-term homes and units of support or homelessness accommodation in its current construction pipeline.
“Our innovative MyHome Shared Equity Program has already helped 162 households into homeowners, and also hit a record month in June with 45 households supported.
“Also, we are delivering on our long-term plan for 10,000 new social and affordable homes by 2032, the most ambitious housing program in Tasmania’s history.
“We have also helped to drive the workforce we need to build these homes, with a 41 per cent increase construction trades apprentices and trainees in training since 2018.
“We are building more homes, faster, increasing supply each and every day, setting Tasmania in strong position to share in the $3 billion performance-based bonus.”
“On planning, because of our Government’s laser focus on reform, Tasmania is ahead of the pack and many of the reforms being discussed at a national level have already been delivered.
“We have already established a no permit required framework, which allows for single dwellings in a residential zoned to be signed off in a matter of days.
“Through our Housing Land Supply Act we have provided a streamlined process for the rezoning of land for social and affordable housing.
“We recently announced that we will developing a new decision-making pathway to allow some planning decisions to be made by an independent expert panel rather than the elected members of a Council – to take the politics out of planning.
“Through our Tasmanian Planning Policies which will soon be in effect and our ongoing review of the regional land use strategies we are delivering the strategic oversight that our planning system needs.”
“In terms of renters’ rights, our Government’s continued commitment to a fair rental system that meets the needs of renters and owners was also highlighted at National Cabinet.
“Today, a nine-point Better Deal for Renters was agreed at National Cabinet, and I am proud to say that Tasmania largely already delivers on seven of these measures,” Premier Rockliff said.
“We will take a look at the remaining measures, namely appeals against retaliatory evictions and privacy protections, and consult with all relevant stakeholders on the best next steps.
“With around one in three Tasmanians renting, we understand the importance of continuing to ensure we strike the right balance for both renters and owners.
“There is always more work to be done, but we are clearly on the right track and our long-term plan is delivering on what matters most for Tasmanians, including more homes.”
