The Gutwein Government has missed a prime opportunity to help address Tasmania’s ballooning housing waiting list with its key plan for Hobart’s Macquarie Point.
Shadow Housing Minister Ella Haddad said the lack of any social housing in the plan for the Escarpment behind the Cenotaph is yet another government failure.
“The redevelopment of Macquarie Point was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvent Hobart’s waterfront and attract local investment and jobs, whilst providing an affordable housing option for inner-city living,” Ms Haddad said.
“But instead of coming up with a local vision for the future of the site, the government has chosen an interstate company to develop the area, with a plan for apartments, short-stay accommodation, retail and hospitality.
“Even though struggling Tasmanians are crying out for affordable housing, they have again been left out in the cold, with nothing in the plan to address this urgent need.
“This government promised to build thousands of new social houses over the next six years, but the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show just 15 new approvals for public sector social houses in September, following just four approvals in August.
“How does the government expect to deliver what it has promised if it keeps ignoring the needs of the 4,468 families on the social housing waiting list?
“It is also disappointing that the firm chosen by the government to develop the area is from Melbourne.
“Tasmania has some of the best architects and architecture firms in Australia so it defies belief that the design could not have been sourced locally.
“After almost eight years of awaiting action on this important project, Tasmanians have every right to expect better than an Infrastructure Minister who simply plans to sell Macquarie Point off bit by bit to mainland developers.”
Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Housing Minister
