Minister, community groups urge action on Tasmanian housing debt

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch will this week personally lobby his federal counterpart to wipe a historic debt that has $15 million ripped from Tasmania’s housing budget every year.

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

HOUSING Minister Roger Jaensch will this week personally lobby his federal counterpart to wipe a historic debt that has ripped $15 million from Tasmania’s housing budget every year.

The Braddon Liberal MP has already written to Michael Sukkar to urge the Coalition to forgive the $157 million housing debt that could take until 2042 to pay off at the current rate.

Mr Sukkar is expected to visit Tasmania to attend the Hobart City Council’s emergency meeting on housing this week.

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“I have written to the new Housing Minister and my office is in touch with his office and I’m looking forward to having a discussion with him soon,” Mr Jaensch said.

“We want to see our housing debt retired.

“I’m looking forward to having a conversation with Mr Sukkar in coming days.”

Tasmania’s annual Commonwealth housing debt repayment eats about half the grant the state receives for housing from the Federal Government every year.

Community sector organisations and successive state ministers have long argued the debt should be relieved to ensure that money is instead spent on much-needed public and community housing.

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Shelter Tasmania executive officer Pattie Chugg said she hoped to meet with Mr Sukkar when he visited Tasmania to strongly urge the Coalition to wipe out the historic housing debt.

“The number one thing we will be asking him is about the debt,” Ms Chugg said.

“If that is paid off it will allow an extra $15 million a year to go back into our much-needed pubic housing and homelessness services. In Tasmania now we are living in the most expensive capital city in Australia.”

Ms Chugg will meet with the heads of other non-government organisations today to prepare a response to the Hobart City Council’s Thursday meeting on the housing crisis.

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