The Greens have pledged to crack down on short-stay accommodation if they hold the balance of power after the July 29 Tasmanian election.
Clark candidate Helen Burnet said the party would immediately stop new whole-home short stays and start phasing out existing listings in residential areas.
“The Liberals have allowed Tasmanian’s rentals to be converted to short stay accommodation for too long,” she said.
“It didn’t used to be so bad, but for more than a decade the Liberals have allowed short stay accommodation to expand unchecked across the state.”
Burnet said around 1,000 Tasmanian homes have been lost to Airbnb in the past four years.
She said the next government must tackle what she called the current “nightmare” of finding affordable housing in Tasmania.
“Despite promising to introduce a 5% levy on short stays at the last election, the Liberals still haven’t done a thing,” Burnet said.
She also took aim at Labor’s mixed messaging on pausing new Airbnb permits – a policy they supported at the last election.
“We repeatedly asked Labor to recommit to their policy … in parliament earlier this year, but they wouldn’t,” she said.
“They need to be clear with Tasmanians where they stand now.”
