It’s official – Hobart is still the least affordable capital city in Australia for renting a home.
The gap between people’s income and the cost of rent continues to rise, meaning Hobart residents continue to suffer in the worst housing crisis seen in generations.
Shadow Housing Minister Ella Haddad said the latest data from the Rental Affordability Index (RAI) showed Tasmanians were facing increased housing stress.
“The latest RAI data is deeply concerning, with declining affordability in Tasmania’s regional areas for the fifth year in a row,” Ms Haddad said.
“This is coupled with the Greater Hobart region hitting an all-time affordability low and retaining the unwelcome title of least affordable capital city in which to rent in Australia.
“It is clear that the housing crisis continues to worsen and this latest data shows just how dire the situation is for Tasmanians.
“Now is the time for new thinking, innovative solutions and swift action to get more people into a home at every level of the housing sector.
“No matter what kind of accommodation you are trying to get into – private rental or ownership, government or social housing or even an emergency shelter – Tasmanians are being let down by this Liberal Government.
“Not only are prices for private sale and private rental becoming completely unapproachable for people, at of the end of September there were 4,468 families on the public housing waitlist, with priority applicants waiting an average of 73.7 weeks to get a home.
“Meanwhile, shelters had to turn away requests for assistance a whopping 15,000 times in just one year, up from 14,000 in the previous year.
“Housing Minister Michael Ferguson needs to start delivering on his government’s big housing promises. The latest RAI data should be a wake-up call that he still isn’t doing enough to fix Tasmania’s housing crisis.”
Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Housing Minister
