Greens aspire to ‘a home for all Tasmanians’ with housing plan
A “housing-led recovery” is needed to tackle the state’s housing and homelessness crises, the Greens say, unveiling a plan to build more than 8000 new houses for those in need.
Politics
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THE Greens have announced a plan to build more than 8000 new homes in the next decade to address the current shortfall of 11,000 affordable houses.
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor dubbed the new policy – which would establish 250 full time construction jobs – as the “most comprehensive housing policy of the election to date”.
“Under the Liberals, the housing waiting list is at its highest level in a decade,” she said.
“Their failure to invest in housing supply and regulate short-stay accommodation laid the foundations for the housing crisis.”
Under the policy, the party would supply 8356 new houses by 2030, with an early investment in 4000 public housing dwellings and 2000 rent-to-buy homes for low-to-middle income earners.
The Greens’ proposed housing plan has been modelled on Finland’s Housing First policy, which helped that nation reduce its homelessness and prioritised secure tenancy over crisis accommodation.
Ms O’Connor said Tasmania’s homelessness crisis required a Housing First approach and warranted tighter rules around short-stay accommodation, which would restrict the number of whole short-stay properties in residential zones in tight rental markets.
She said an immediate freeze would be enforced in zones experiencing a rental shortage, adding local governments would have authority to refuse permits during such a time.
“Tasmanians are being priced out of their own paradise,” she said.
“We need a housing-led recovery to build more homes for Tasmanians in desperate need of government action.”
A Department of Public Works would also be established for the project.
Cuppas and jellyfish: Independents enter the race
From a cafe owner and teacher to a jellyfish expert, popular mayor and a former parliamentary Speaker — get to know some of the faces running as independents in the state election race.
HE runs a popular cafe, has taught at schools in Fiji and worked on local housing initiatives – now Hobart City Councillor Mike Dutta is ready to try his hand at state politics.
Mr Dutta said “a number of people” coming through his South Hobart cafe, the Foodstore, had urged him to run as an independent candidate for Clark, and he very nearly said no.
“After thinking about it, on Friday I said ‘no, I won’t’,” Mr Dutta said.
“But on Monday I thought, ‘all right, I’ve got nothing to lose’, and a number of my colleagues encouraged me to stand so I will give it a shot.”
Key issues Mr Dutta want to fight for are education, social housing, political donation reform, and gambling and poker machine reform.
He said his resume backed up his credibility, having been a Hobart College teacher for more than 20 years and a Colleges Association president, and having contributed to the HCC’s Housing with Dignity group and helped Salvation Army and Hobart City Mission.
Mr Dutta hoped Clark voters would lend their support to independents in the thousands.
He said Labor had withdrawn “any sense of a moral compass” by switching their position on pokies, while the Liberal Party had a list of unfulfilled promises for health, housing and education.
“I’m in the race so that other independents can benefit from my preferences,” he said.
“Kristie Johnston and Sue Hickey are miles ahead and stand a very good chance, but at least this way I’m giving people a choice to vote for me and my preferences can flow to them.
“When you become a party member it’s a herd mentality – you follow what they tell you to do if you’re in a party, and if you do not, you suffer the same consequence as Sue Hickey.”
Mr Dutta said he would spend $2000 or less on his campaign, adding it was unfair larger parties had the backing of donations from big businesses.
World-renowned jellyfish researcher and autism advocate Dr Lisa Gershwin announced on Wednesday she will also run as an independent for Clark.
She hoped to make a difference for the mental health and disability sectors, and has shared her own story being on the autism spectrum, having depression and previously living in homeless shelters.
“My ongoing experience with Tasmania’s mental health and disability systems has left me feeling alienated and degraded, yet it has stoked a fire in my belly for justice,” she said.
“I know what it’s like to be caught up in a powerful system, and I will fight for everybody’s voice to be heard.
“I’m the least political person I know, but maybe that’s a good thing right now.”
North-West hospital in line for major upgrade
THE North West Regional Hospital will get its first major upgrade in decades if a Liberal government is re-elected.
The Burnie health facility – which Premier Peter Gutwein said got on top of Australia’s first major COVID-19 outbreak through incredible effort 12 months ago – would also become a mental health precinct.
And $4.3m would be spent creating a Rural Medical Workforce Centre at Latrobe’s Mersey Community Hospital, which Health Minister Sarah Courtney said would be secure under a Gutwein government.
The Burnie hospital would also get a second linear accelerator to double the facility’s capacity for cancer patient care.
Tasmanian entrepreneur Dale Elphinstone, who has donated to the establishment of the cancer centre, said it was bittersweet news.
“Way back the community started a campaign to convince the government we needed a cancer centre here with many arguing we did not and should travel to Launceston,” Mr Elphinstone said.
“It is sweet to see the centre being expanded. The bitter is the ongoing need for a cancer services.”
Mr Gutwein and Ms Courtney were in Burnie on Wednesday to announce that over the next 10 years, a re-elected Liberal government would spend $60m on the first stage of the NWRH redevelopment – due to be completed in 2025.
$40m would go towards the creation of a new Mental Health Precinct, adjacent to the NWRH, to replace the ageing Spencer Clinic and $20m to upgrade wards.
Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the clinic had been built in 1995 and a recent visit showed better and contemporary facilities were needed to cater for the mental health needs of people in the region.
Space freed up by moving the Spencer Clinic would provide additional bed capacity for the NWRH.
“It is expected that this stage will be completed in 2025,” the Premier said.
Ms Courtney said while this occurs, $500,000 will be provided for an updated master plan for the NWRH and local health facilities.
O’Byrne pulls plug on support for Ferguson, says Premier must act
The survival of key Liberal Michael Ferguson hangs by a thread after key independent David O’Byrne declared he had lost confidence in the beleaguered Treasurer and Deputy Premier. What Mr O’Byrne said >>
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