Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader and Human Services spokesperson
Under the Liberal Government, the public housing waiting list has soared over the past two years. Every one of the 3,708 Tasmanians waiting for a house have a story to tell about homelessness or housing stress.
Under a Greens Minister in the last government, the housing waiting list was at its lowest level in a decade, with 2,310 Tasmanians on the waiting list in 2013. This was the result of a record investment in increasing the supply of social and affordable housing from both Federal and State governments.
In the three years since, 1,400 Tasmanians have been added to the public housing waiting list. That is a damning indictment on the Hodgman Government's under investment in social and affordable housing.
This is also a reflection of the Federal Liberals' complete neglect of its responsibility to help increase the supply of public housing and their abandonment of the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
It is Tasmanians who are looking for a home who are paying the price for this Liberal neglect.
The first two Hodgman Budgets allocated no extra funding to increase the supply of social and affordable housing in Tasmania. This is the story of entrenching disadvantage which is being told by the damning statistics released today.
3,708 Tasmanians who have insecure housing, are homeless or living in unaffordable housing are waiting for support from the State Government. Because of the delay in building new housing stock, they will be waiting even longer.
Many of the people on the housing waiting list are couch surfing, living in cars, living in crowded accommodation with other family members or in entirely unaffordable housing. There are also too many people in shelters, who are escaping domestic and family violence.
They have been totally let down by the Liberals in government at the State and Federal level.