Hobart Lord Mayor backs calls for restrictions on Airbnbs

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has floated the idea of extending restrictions on short-stay accommodation to several suburbs, but says she’s not “anti-Airbnb”.

HOBART Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has backed calls for restrictions on short-stay accommodation as the city continues to suffer housing supply and affordability issues.

Cr Reynolds was speaking in response to Liberal MHA Sue Hickey’s call for a pause on short-stay accommodation, which she said was causing Tasmanians to suffer rental stress and homelessness.

Cr Reynolds said she was “relieved” to see concern in State Government ranks about the issue.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

She said local and state governments had a responsibility to ensure policies were “fit for purpose and benefit locals”.

“It’s really clear that in inner Hobart in particular, the impact of visitor accommodation in regular houses and flats is biting our renters hard,’’ she said.

“I would like to sit down with the [Housing] Minister [Roger Jaensch] and Hobart representatives, like Sue, to work out an appropriate next step.

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“Perhaps we need to extend the current short-stay ban in Battery Point to other suburbs that have a growing number of short stays taking over whole houses.

“We could for example extend these provisions to Glebe, North Hobart and other suburbs that are getting a large number of short-stay accommodation places.”

But Cr Reynolds said she was not “anti-Airbnb”.

“I use it myself sometimes and I have friends that rent out a room or their whole house when they go on holiday,’’ she said.

Shadow Housing Minister Alison Standen. Picture: ZAK SIMMONDS

Labor housing spokeswoman Alison Standen said on any given night, 1600 Tasmanians were homeless.

“In Parliament in June 2018, Labor moved to pause short- stay accommodation, pending the recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Short Stay Accommodation. But Ms Hickey and the Liberals voted against it,’’ she said.

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Airbnb’s head of public policy for Australia, Derek Nolan, said the causes of housing affordability issues were “complex and many”, including population growth and an inadequate housing supply pipeline.

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch pointed to the Government’s $258 million Affordable Housing Strategy.