The Private Rental Incentive Program (PRIP) has been around for a long time and while Labor welcomes increasing the number of participating properties, the Liberal Government needs to be doing far more to assist the increasing number of Tasmanians in desperate need.
Currently there are more than 4500 Tasmanians waiting for housing in Tasmania and the PRIP realistically only helps a small minority of people, many who have been on the waiting list for years.
It is also a time-limited program, meaning renters run the risk of being plunged back into the unaffordable private rental market at the end of their two-year lease.
It should not be left to Tasmanians to remedy Housing Minister Guy Barnett’s failure in the portfolio and this government’s near decade of total inaction.
The government repeatedly claims it will build 10,000 homes in 10 years – or 83.3 a month – but with only 17 new homes built in December 2022, this Liberal Government is missing the mark completely.
Safe and affordable housing is something that all Tasmanians should be afforded and under a Labor Government, this would be our key priority.
Instead of focussing on a billion dollar stadium in Hobart, the Liberal Government should get back to basics and make housing a priority for the thousands of Tasmanians with no place to call home.
Originally published on February 18, 2023