Population pressures and housing unaffordability has placed extreme pressure on Tasmania’s housing market. Responses to this need to be integrated and consider the full life cycle of housing planning, supply, development, building and sale or rental. Our councils are highly motivated to improve housing security in their communities and have been working in ways within their capacity to address this.
Local government has a special role to play in addressing Australia’s housing crisis but unlocking and properly enabling this role requires specific actions and tools from other levels of government.
As the housing crisis has steadily intensified, Tasmanian councils have been on the frontline of its impacts on local communities. They've understood that their ability to act on housing has limitations and is constrained by the legislative and economic frameworks administered by the Tasmanian and Australian Governments.
Consequently, councils brought their concerns to LGAT and together we have been advocating for a number of key actions, reforms and interventions to help alleviate housing stress in Tasmania and build a better, more secure and more inclusive housing system.
Housing Position Statement
The Local Government Housing Position Statement is a result of the work undertaken by the LGAT Housing Reference Group, comprised of experts from Tasmanian councils.
The LGAT Housing Reference Group was established in 2023 to develop recommendations for the sector to consider regarding short-stay accommodation and what support is required to assist local government in responding to the current housing crisis.
LGAT has taken the position of councils to form a coherent Local Government Housing Position Statement, articulating the key needs of Tasmania’s local government sector to make meaningful improvements to housing security across the state. The four main positions endorsed by the sector discuss:
- How we need to act strategically and address planning reform systemically
- The establishment of an infrastructure delivery system
- Delivering housing for residents
- Supporting people in need.