Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia vows to unlock more land for housing than Peter Malinauskas

Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia has unveiled his party’s official response to Premier Peter Malinauskas’s ambitious housing plan.

The Liberal Party has vowed to unlock more land for housing than their Labor counterparts if elected at next year’s State Election.

Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia said his party supported, in principle, state government plans to overturn greenfield housing development bans on pockets of land in the Roseworthy, Two Wells, Murray Bridge, Victor Harbor and Goolwa areas.

Premier Peter Malinauskas introduced legislation earlier this month to open up land for 61,000 homes on regions previously protected under an Environment and Food Production Areas Bill.

Mr Tarzia said the Liberal Party, if elected next March, would also open up a big swath of land west of Port Wakefield Rd in the Dublin area. It would adjust and increase the size of areas the government had identified for housing near Victor Harbor and Goolwa.

He said the additional land unlocked by the Liberal Party was not suitable for farming and provided space for “thousands” of extra houses.

Vincent Tarzia, right and Peter Malinauskas at an SA Press Club leaders' debate. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“We are working to help solve the housing crisis that has worsened under Labor,” Mr Tarzia said.

“Any changes we make will be with a view to unlock more land, not less, while protecting our future food production capabilities.”

Opposition housing minister Michelle Lensink said the Liberal Party had long supported a bipartisan review of the Environment and Food Production Areas Bill.

She said she had visited the areas and spoken to locals to form a view around which pockets of land were suitable for housing, and which should be left for farmers.

“We’ve identified changes that can be made to EFPAs that will provide more land for new housing developments, closer to infrastructure, than the Government’s proposals,” she said.

“This includes additional land around Victor Harbor and Goolwa no longer suitable for long-term viable farming or currently used as hobby farms.

Maps from the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan: The blue dots are areas of major urban infill run by the state government, while the green dots signify large greenfields development sites for new housing.

“There is also potential in the land west of Port Wakefield Road, including Dublin, which could provide a convenient location for housing and industry relatively close by, complementing land released in Roseworthy and Two Wells.

“We believe this gets the balance right between unlocking our housing potential and securing our food future.

Mr Malinauskas’s plan aims to banish uncontrolled carve up of suburban streets for subdivision. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“Our amendments will also seek to make future revisions easier as our population continues to grow.”

Housing Minister Nick Champion said the areas identified for future expansion in the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan were the result of multiple rounds of community consultation and detailed analysis by the State Planning Commission.

“The new areas identified by the Liberal Party north of Adelaide will require significant and costly infrastructure,” Mr Champion said.

“This is desperate and adhoc housing policy on the run. The former Liberal Government only rezoned less than 190 hectares of land across its four-year term.

“Since taking office, the Malinauskas Labor Government has already approved 30 code amendments, rezoning more than 500 hectares of land to create at least 7000 new dwellings.”

Originally published as Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia vows to unlock more land for housing than Peter Malinauskas