Tasmania’s idle development sites could be brought back to life under a Labor plan to cut through red tape and kickstart stalled housing projects across the state.
Labor leader Dean Winter has unveiled the “Renew Tasmania” policy, which would set up a new government business enterprise backed by $20 million in seed funding to unlock land and fast-track construction.
The agency would acquire Crown land and buy up private sites, manage complex planning hurdles and then either release shovel-ready land back to the market or partner with builders to deliver homes.
“After 11 years of the Liberals, we’ve got a housing crisis in Tasmania. We’ve got land lying dormant all over the state, unable to actually get built,” Winter said.
“Six years ago they said they’d fast track land and deliver more homes. Well, after six years they delivered six homes.”
Labor’s housing spokesperson Shane Broad said RenewTas would remove the early-stage risks that often stop private developers from tackling tricky or high-potential sites.
“What we’ve seen around the state is great development parcels stay dormant for too long,” Broad said.
“Renew Tas would take on board Crown land but also acquire land, do work on master plans with the local community but then do the development phase, do the planning so that businesses get some certainty.”
Industry groups are backing the idea, warning that planning delays are choking Tasmania’s housing supply.
Rebecca Elston from the Property Council of Tasmania said developers are stuck in limbo with no clear path through the planning system.
“Best case scenario is around six months. But we’re hearing cases of around 18 months for a standard residential home, which is just insane at the moment,” she said.
“Coupled with the utilities costs and the timeframes around getting utilities in and under the ground, you’re looking at upwards of 24 months to get any sort of subdivision or larger development off the ground.”
James Collins from Ronald Young and Co Builders, speaking on behalf of the Housing Industry Association, said the construction sector is ready to build but can’t get access to land.
“We’ve got materials, we’ve got workforce, we’ve got HIA, we’ve got the high-vis army and youth build, bringing through the next generation of ready-to-work workers. But we need access to the land,” Collins said.
The Planning Institute of Australia’s Tasmanian president Mick Purvis said his organisation has long pushed for a state-based renewal agency.
“Every other state has a state-based renewal agency and development agency except for Tasmania,” Purvis said.
The $20 million in start-up funding would come from Labor’s claimed $500 million in budget savings.
The agency, if Labor are elected, would operate as a not-for-profit and reinvest any profits into future housing and urban renewal projects.
