Senator Jacqui Lambie wants a pause on mainland investors buying Tassie homes

Mainlanders are pushing Tasmanians out of the market according to one Tasmanian politician who is calling for a pause on interstate sales. HAVE YOUR SAY >>

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie is calling for a pause on mainland investors buying up in Tasmania to help ease the state’s housing crisis.

She said sales to interstate buyers should be limited to only those who are relocating until housing supply can be built up.

“We don’t have the infrastructure (to build new houses), our health system is in turmoil and mainlanders are pushing our own people out of the market.”

“They are coming in paying way over the asking price, you hear some are paying $100,000 over, and they are turning them in Airbnbs and making a profit,” she said.

Real Estate Institute of Tasmania President Michael Walsh said the number of mainland purchases had remained relatively steady across 2020 and 2021.

“In the last quarter 18.1 per cent of all sales that occurred were to mainland buyers, over half are mainlanders looking to live here and relocate.”

“Overall the number of sales to investors ran at 19 per cent of all sales, they’re making up proportion but not the greater number that people have thought.”

Senator Lambie said the pressure was being particularly felt in rural and regional areas.

“There’s plenty of people asking questions about housing and I’m not hearing anything from the state government.”

“You have places down in a Queenstown you couldn’t give away in 90s for $2000, now they’re paying $400,000.”

Senator Jacqui Lambie talking outside Parliament House, Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Housing Minister Michael Ferguson said the government was investing $615 million into social and affordable housing, and homelessness initiatives.

“This means that we will build an extra 2,000 new homes by 2027, on top of the 1,500 already being built over the next three years, bringing the total to 3,500 new homes by 2027 to help our most vulnerable,” he said.

“Senator Lambie would need to find a way to change the Australian constitution to achieve her thought bubble policy.”

The latest CoreLogic Home Value Index released earlier this month showed Hobart’s median value for dwellings, houses and units, was $180,097 higher than the same time last year at a new benchmark of $678,170, an annual change of 28.06 per cent.

In regional Tasmania the annual change was higher with a 29.1 per cent increase to the median price and 6.4 per cent for the past quarter.

Senator Lambie said her office was receiving calls daily from people with concerns about housing.

“There is no emergency housing, no public housing and what’s bothering me is we are going to see more families living out of cars.”

“The other thing is tradies are stacked, people are waiting 12 months to have a slab put down,” she said.

“We can’t just close our eyes to the housing problem because in another year or two, god forbid, I hate to see what will happen.”

Housing dashboard figures released in October show there are 4468 Tasmanians with an application on the housing register, 22 per cent more than 12 months ago.