Tasmania’s housing crisis reaches boiling point in state parliament as Rebecca White talks
Harrowing stories of families stuck in the grip of the state’s housing crisis have been aired in parliament, with Labor’s leader saying the government is showing a “callous disregard” to Tasmanians in need. LATEST >>
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Follow all the latest news in our rolling state parliament blog for Wednesday, March 3, 2021:
Housing crisis talks continue
HARROWING stories of Tasmanians stuck in the grip of the state’s housing crunch have been aired in state parliament, with the government coming under sustained attack for its handling of the crisis.
Opposition Leader Rebecca White accused the state government and Premier Peter Gutwein of being “out of touch” and showing a “callous disregard” for families impacted by the housing shortage.
Ms White said the government talked big about building new homes, but had broken promises and was failing to deliver them quick enough.
On Wednesday, parliament heard a single mother of five had been evicted into homelessness last week.
Ms White said the woman had been on the housing waiting list for 18 months and has had to send one of her children to live with relatives while couch surfing with her other children in the living room of a family member’s home.
Meanwhile, the heartbreaking story of mother-of-two Crystal Kenzie who is sleeping in a tent in Warrane was again put into the spotlight.
“I have no doubt that you’ve read this story and your housing minister has read this story. I have no doubt that Crystal has been placed in the too-hard basket,’’ Ms White said.
“Right now she’s still living in a tent. Just last night, Crystal was told to go to the Safe Night Space … but was turned away because there were no available beds.”
Ms White accused Mr Gutwein of burying his head in the sand and suggested the government should “do the right thing and put her in safe accommodation”.
In another case raised by the Labor Leader, a 12-year-old boy living with a disability in a social housing dwelling at Rokeby was forced to crawl around because the home was not wheelchair-friendly.
Ms White said the boy and his mother had been waiting for seven years for a transfer to more suitable accommodation.
Mr Gutwein repeatedly refused to comment on the circumstances of individuals before the parliament, but said the cases would be looked into.
“I’m not going to speak about individual cases in this parliament but I am certain the matters you have raised this morning, that the housing minister (Roger Jaensch) will follow these matters up,’’ he said.
Mr Gutwein said the state government had a pipeline of work to boost housing supply.
“We are building houses and dwellings as fast as we can,’’ he said.
But Ms White said there were 3594 people on the social housing waiting list, a 65 per cent increase since the Liberal government took office.
And she said the 2019 waiver of the state’s historic Commonwealth housing debt — which promised to deliver 80 new homes each year, had delivered just three.
Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor took Mr Gutwein to task about rent increases since the COVID-induced moratorium ended last month.
Ms O’Connor said the Greens and the Tenants Union of Tasmania had been contacted by dozens of tenants who had suffered increases in their rent and were in distress.
She said rents were soaring and tenants were often too fearful of raising the matter formally for fear of being evicted.
Mr Gutwein said five applications for unreasonable rent increases were being considered by the Residential Tenancy Commissioner — one of them considered to be valid, one invalid while three were under consideration.
CEO appointed for Commission of Inquiry
THE Commission of Inquiry into child sex abuse in government institutions has appointed its next key staff member.
Brad Wagg, the current acting director of community corrections in the Department of Justice, has been appointed the interim CEO so administrative arrangements can be made.
Mr Wagg will start in the role on March 15.
The inquiry, Tasmania’s equivalent of a royal commission, is expected to start later this month.
Attorney-General Elise Archer said work was continuing to consider the functional requirements of the inquiry, including leadership, staffing, appropriate premises and any additional services to assist operations.
“Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and protection of children, and we are working to make sure our government systems are doing just that,” she said.
In January, the state government announced that it would recommend Marcia Neave as president of the inquiry.
Ms Neave was the chair of the Royal Commission into Family Violence in Victoria from February 2015 to March 2016, and was a former legal academic who was a Justice of the Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Tassie home to NBL hub
LAUNCESTON will host up to six regular season NBL matches this year, Premier Peter Gutwein has announced in state parliament.
The New Zealand Breakers will use Tasmania as their home base for up to six weeks either side of Easter, with matches to be played at the Silverdome.
Mr Gutwein said the state government would provide funding of about $750,000 for operational game day costs as part of the deal.
He said it was a “great outcome for Launceston” and would have positive economic and social benefits for the state.
The Premier said the deal would put Tasmania in the national spotlight ahead of the entry later this year of the Tasmania JackJumpers into the NBL.
Games will be broadcast on television channels including SBS and ESPN, while NBL1 women’s team Launceston Tornadoes are expected to play matches at the venue in conjunction with the arrangement.
AFL talks continue
THE AFL has committed to further updating Tasmania on the state’s push for its own team by the end of next week, Premier Peter Gutwein says.
League chief executive Gillon McLachlan wrote to the state government last month and said an AFL-organised review of Tasmania’s bid would be done.
But Mr Gutwein objected to the response and the timeline given, with the AFL saying it would be delivered next year.
“That wasn’t good enough,” the Premier said.
Mr Gutwein said he had asked Mr McLachlan that the review be done by the middle of this year instead.
“Mr McLachlan committed to providing an answer by the end of next week and I will provide an update on Friday, March 12,” he said.
He said that correspondence would inform how the state proceeds with deals for Hawthorn and North Melbourne matches to be played in the state.
The deals expire at the end of this year.
“If the AFL won’t work with us, I will outline how we will fill the weekends with content,” Mr Gutwein told state parliament on Wednesday morning.
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