Heat on social housing
Only 8% of homes promised by the Government have been built
JUST 8 per cent of social housing dwellings slated to be built in the four years to June next year have been completed, but the State Government says it remains on track to build them all by the deadline.
According to the Department of Human Services’ quarterly housing report for January to March, 37 new social housing dwellings have been completed since 2015, despite the Government’s target to build 430 by the end of the 2018-19 financial year.
The figures come after it was revealed that Hobart had become more unaffordable than Sydney for rental properties, with Tasmania’s low wages not keeping up with soaring rental prices. Labor leader Rebecca White questioned Housing Minister Roger Jaensch in parliament yesterday over how many of the houses had been built.
Mr Jaensch was initially unable to say, but estimated it was between “250-300”.
Ms White later revealed the Government’s quarterly housing report showed just 37 houses had been built and asked how the remaining 393 houses would be finished by the deadline. She said the figures meant the Government would need to do “an awful lot of work” over the next 12 months.
“This is a government that hasn’t adequately invested in social infrastructure, hasn’t adequately invested in the homes people need to live in,” Ms White said.
Mr Jaensch said the Government had helped 500 new households into affordable, se- cure and safe homes and was on track to help more than 1600 households by June next year.
“We know there are challenges and we are working every day to address them,” he said.
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor asked Premier Will Hodgman if he agreed that his Government had failed Tasmanians who need a home, and whether he had any confidence in his Housing Minister.
She said Mr Jaensch had not allowed Housing Tasmania to provide opposition parties with briefings on the housing situation, which was “deepening concerns that he has no idea what he is doing”.
Mr Hodgman said he had full confidence in his Housing Minister.
“Yes, I have every confidence in the minister. Yes, we have a plan and we are delivering on it.”
HOUSEHOLDS will be paying $20 a year more for water by 2022 under the State Government’s deal with TasWater, according to modelling by Labor.
The Opposition will today launch an attack on the Government over a deal it reached with the water and sewerage utility this month.
The deal, which came after the Hodgman Government backed away from a promise to take over TasWater, enshrined a 3.5 per cent per year price rise from 2020-21.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein has consistently sold the message that the Government will deliver lower water prices.
Audited modelling for Labor finds customers will be paying $1414 per year by 2022-23 — $20 more than they would if increases were pegged to the Consumer Price Index.
“It doesn’t deliver lower prices,” the Opposition infrastructure spokesman David O’Byrne said.
“It actually doesn’t bring the infrastructure sooner. It doesn’t improve the situation — arguably it makes it worse.”
The figure is based on the Economic Regulator’s benchmark price.
The Government’s firstterm attempt to take over the utility was blocked by the Legislative Council in November.
The Liberals pledged to reintroduce the legislation during the election campaign this year but instead announced the Government would invest $200 million over 10 years as a TasWater shareholder.
Labor’s modelling shows households better off in years one and two of the deal before paying more in years three and four, based on budget forecasts for CPI.
Mr O’Byrne said TasWater would be $4 million worse off over the 10 years of the deal, seriously threatening a $1.8 billion infrastructure spend.
The relocation of the Macquarie Point sewerage works, funding to fix the Cameron Bay works near Mona and a solution for Launceston’s major infrastructure challenges were not addressed, he said.
“This is an infrastructure mess,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“It doesn’t deal with Macquarie Point, it doesn’t deal with Cameron Bay, it doesn’t deal with Launceston and arguably puts at risk the existing infrastructure plan at TasWater.”
Labor will attack the structure of the agreement, arguing no process is in place to deal with shareholder deadlock.
“This is the Treaty of Versailles and we know what happened with that,” Mr O’Byrne said.
Labor went to the election promising investment for major water and sewerage infrastructure projects from industry superannuation funds.
Mr Hodgman wrote in Talking Point this month that the Government’s deal with TasWater would deliver on the promise of lower prices.
The Hobart City Council backed the State Government’s move this week.