Tent city heat builds on MP

Jaensch must visit Showground, say rivals days

PRESSURE is mounting on Housing Minister Roger Jaensch to visit Hobart’s “tent city”, as the housing crisis deepens.

It has been more than two weeks since Mr Jaensch was appointed to Cabinet to oversee a solution to the housing crisis but, despite an invitation, he has not visited the Hobart Showground, where families are sheltering in tents.

Labor housing spokesman Josh Willie, who has visited the site, urged the Minister to visit the Showground to better understand the plight of people there.

“How can the new Minister implement changes when he’s not listening to the people who are experiencing homelessness?” he said.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor, who has also visited the tent city, said Mr Jaensch had to get out of his office to see the “human face of the housing emergency”.

“There are children sleeping in tents, working families who’ve searched in vain for a rental and people distress,” she said.

As heat grew on Mr Jaensch, the Salvation Army denied speculation struggling tenants at Common Ground’s Campbell St site will be evicted to make way for Tafe students.

The Salvation Army manages the State Governmentowned complex, which has a mixed tenancy arrangement housing people who cannot afford regular rentals, such as low-wage earners and people with a history of homelessness.

Salvation Army public relations officer Brad Watson said nobody staying at the Campbell St site in Hobart had been asked to leave. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Our contract is in place in mental until next year and we don’t foresee a change of use in that period and we will continue to serve out our contract.”

Sources have contacted the Mercury about concerns Campbell St tenants would be replaced by students. Common Ground Tasmania built 97 affordable housing units across two sites at Campbell St and Goulburn St in 2012. The Salvation Army took over management of the sites in 2016.

Mr Watson said the Salvos would continue to manage the Campbell St site until June 30 next year when its contract expires. But after July 1 this year, Anglicare would take over the Goulburn St site after winning a Department of Health and Human Services tender.