Libs’ home building vow

Minister can’t put number on homeless crisis victims

THE State Government will build more public housing in the next 12 months than has been built over the past seven years, Housing Minister Roger Jaensch has claimed.

The Minister told Budget Estimates hearings yesterday that the Government had built 153 homes towards a target of 444.

The remaining 291 homes represent more public housing than has been approved for construction since 2011.

“It does take time to develop these projects from scratch, but what we are seeing is demonstrated capability and we are seeing the delivery of 116 new homes in this quarter,” Mr Jaensch said.

Labor’s housing spokesman Josh Willie poured scorn on the claims.

“Mr Jaensch says he can build an average of eight new social housing dwellings each week by June next year despite the fact the Hodgman Liberal Government has only delivered 37 over the past four years,” Mr Willie said.

The last time that volume of housing was approved for construction was the month before the Liberals came to power in 2014, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.

“Considering the housing affordability and homelessness crisis has been an extremely low priority for the Hodgman Liberal Government and for Mr Jaensch since he assumed responsibility for housing three months ago, Tasmanians will be watching very closely to ensure that he delivers,” Mr Willie said.

ABS figures for building approvals showed 188 public housing dwellings had been approved for construction in Tasmania since the Liberals took office.

Hobart is in the middle of a housing crisis, with a growing population, rising prices, low rental vacancy rates and a rise in homesharing services.

Mr Jaensch yesterday said he does not know how many people are sleeping rough in Hobart. He cited two-year-old Census figures that there were 139 people living in “improvised dwellings”.

He said his current understanding was 14 people from five families were camped at the Hobart Showground. But there were no figures about other sites where makeshift tent camps have sprung up.

“In terms of the Census 2016, it did report a reduction in the number of people in improvised dwellings, sleeping rough,” Mr Jaensch said.

“It doesn’t tell us how many there are now. We expect that in line with the last couple of censuses there are in excess of a hundred people sleeping rough around Tasmania,” he told the committee. “It’s always been there, it’s been exacerbated over recent months.”