Michael Ferguson,Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is investing an unprecedented $615 million into social and affordable housing, and homelessness initiatives, to ensure that more Tasmanians have a place that they can call home.
By working with the community housing partners and the building industry we are currently averaging completion of more than one new house per day.
Today I was pleased to officially open nine new social housing units in the historic town of Richmond.
The construction of these units is the result of a productive partnership by the Tasmanian Government, Centacare Evolve Housing, St Joseph Affordable Homes and CatholicCare Tasmania.
It has also brought many economic benefits to local suppliers and businesses in the broader Richmond region.
The units have also been built by some of the apprentices employed by St Joseph Affordable Homes, Tasmania’s first building and construction social enterprise.
The construction costs for these new units totalled $1.93 million, with the State Government providing $1.215 million under the Community Housing Grant Program.
The Tasmanian Government is taking decisive action and the results show that so far, the Affordable Housing Strategy has delivered a total of 1,922 additional new homes, land lots and new places in supported accommodation and homeless services, including 938, since July 2019.
This is on top of the 1,370 dwellings in the pipeline, including 1,075 new social housing dwellings, 192 supported accommodation units and 103 homeless accommodation units.
Our comprehensive plan to increase housing supply is the only way to make housing as affordable as possible for Tasmanians.
There will always be more we can all do to reduce homelessness and provide housing support and the Tasmanian Liberal Government recognises the real struggles that many Tasmanians are experiencing.
Ultimately, increasing housing supply is the only way to address higher house prices and to get more Tasmanians into suitable homes – which is why the Tasmanian Government is investing record amounts into this sector.
