Pledge to build many new homes
AMID skyrocketing demand for social accommodation, the state government will spend $538m on social and affordable housing initiatives over four years, with $204m of that to be spent this year.
“We will build 1169 homes this year, meeting our target of 1500 by June 2023 and rising to a total of 10,000 new homes by 2032,” Housing Minister Guy Barnett said.
Legislation to establish Tasmania’s Housing Authority, which will oversee the builds, is expected to go before state parliament this year to be set up by October.
To help more Tasmanians buy homes, the budget includes $2.5m over two years to continue the regional land use strategies, to help unlock more land for residential development.
The First Home Owners Grant, which provides $30,000 to first-home buyers, will be extended to the end of the 2022-23 financial year and the cap to be eligible will be increased from $500,000 to $600,000.
Legislation to introduce a foreign investor’s land tax is also expected to be in place by the start of the 2022-23 financial year. Under the proposed tax, foreign investors will pay a 2 per cent surcharge for unused residential land.
There is also extra funding for emergency accommodation and the continuation of the Safe Space project, run by City Mission and the Salvation Army, which provides 77 places to sleep for Tasmanians sleeping rough across the state.
To continue the service, $6.85m will be provided, $3.06m of which will go to the Hobart service, $1.9m to the Launceston service and $1.9m for the Burnie Safe Space.
In the North-West, 23 units will be provided for crisis and transitional accommodation for young people, along with an eight-unit facility for men dealing with homelessness in Devonport.
The Devonport Men’s Shelter will receive $2.45m over four years and $1.9m will be spent on the Launceston Women’s Shelter.
“This expansion will more than double the shelter’s capacity to help women and their children and is expected to be complete by November,” Mr Barnett said.