Building on strategies for Tasmania’s

Tasmanian deserves access to affordable and secure housing.

Tasmania’s growing population, economy and employment have resulted in greater competition for housing, increasing prices and real challenges for Tasmanians on low incomes seeking to buy or rent a house.

The Hodgman Government acknowledges these challenges, which is why we convened an urgent housing summit attended by 34 peak bodies and stakeholders straight after the state election. Participants broadly endorsed a series of actions to address the housing shortage, which we are now

Roger Jaensch

working hard to implement.

While the summit focused on ways to speed up the supply of new housing to meet growing demand, we know that will not help Tasmanians in urgent need right now.

That is why, the week after the summit, we announced almost $500,000 in funding for immediate emergency accommodation and support. The funding is being used to secure cabins and hotel and motel style accommodation, with the emphasis on providing safety and security for those in greatest need over the coming winter period.

This funding includes additional resources for Housing Connect to support people in emergency accommodation and help them make the transition into longer-term affordable housing as it becomes available.

This builds on our work in the last term of government, with several emergency and affordable housing projects rapidly nearing completion including 78 two-bedroom units across the state, a nineunit facility for youth at risk in Moonah and a 25-unit youth accommodation facility in Devonport. These are expected to become available by June 30.

The Hobart Women’s Shelter has recently been expanded by 30 per cent but demand supports additional investment to help victims of family violence and planning will start immediately for an additional women’s crisis shelter providing emergency accommodation in the South, and an assessment of need in the North and North-West.

These initiatives are the result of work done through our 10-year Affordable Housing Strategy, launched in 2015. So far, the strategy has helped nearly 500 households into affordable, secure and safe homes, including more than 230 into affordable home ownership, 33 into new social housing and nearly 90 escaping family violence. This is expected to rise to 1600 households by mid next year.

I am proud of what we have been able to achieve so far but there is much more to be done to meet growing demand.

While our recent announcements have centred on immediate housing relief, we remain committed to our long-term plan which includes building another 1500 affordable homes over the next five years.

We are investing a further $125 million in the second stage of our Affordable Housing Strategy, on top of the $73.5 million already invested, bringing investment to almost $200 million over eight years.

Working with peak bodies from the summit, we have identified and committed to further short- and mediumterm responses to the current housing market conditions.

New measures include the identification of 239ha of vacant government-owned land suitable for residential development and drafting of