The Property Council of Australia has called upon the incoming Tasmanian Government to make housing supply its key priority.
Launching its election priority list yesterday, Tasmanian Executive Director Rebecca Ellston said the need for a change of approach is clear.
“From canvassing members and the release of recent vacancy data, it’s clear housing supply and affordability is and will remains the critical issue for an incoming government,” Ms Ellston said.
“The lack of supply impacts every Tasmanian and the Property Council believes it must be the key priority for the next term of government.
“The extent of the housing crisis needs calls for scaled up stimulus and incentives for the private market, to assist in brokering the gap between supply and demand. Without incentives to make private development stack up, our race to reach Tasmanian Government housing targets will continue to be a false start,” Ms Ellston said.
To assist with growth targets, the property industry can no longer afford to be held back by a complex policy environment, high levels of regulation, and increasing costs, that prevent our state from reaching its full potential.
President of the Tasmanian Division of the Property Council Heather Mason said without urgent action, we will see our housing targets fall even further behind.
“We don’t have the supply to keep up with demand now, let alone to meet our future targets,” Ms Mason said.
“We also need to make sure that we are building new dwellings around job educational and social opportunities and as close to public transport as we can get to ensure we’re creating the best outcomes we can for Tasmanians.
“This includes finally activating the northern transport corridor from Glenorchy to the CBD, instead of being shoved in the too hard basket for another half a decade,” Ms Mason said.
Importantly, any stimulus must be coupled with a boost to workforce capacity to deliver increased supply. With 90 per cent of Property Council member organisations saying they were currently experiencing difficulties in filling skilled job vacancies, there also needs to be a focus on delivering world class training opportunities alongside campaigns to attract key and skilled workers to relocate to our beautiful state.
Central to the Property Council’s election priorities are four critical themes:
- Addressing affordability to create better access to housing for all Tasmanians
- Planning for liveability to deliver Tasmania’s future growth effectively and sustainably
- Promoting productivity and investment through an equitable tax system
- Boosting capacity in skills, training and workforce needs.
“The Property Council looks forward to working with the incoming government and all political parties, to implement sensible and practical policies that will make a real difference in ensuring every Tasmanian can have a roof over their head,” Ms Ellston said.