“Whingeing” Willie needs to look in the mirror before he calls out housing waiting list management.
Just as was the case under Labor, in order to manage the housing waiting list effectively, we need to know if people still require housing- Mr Willie knows full well that a review of the list is usual practice.
Under the review process, Housing Connect will contact applicants they have not heard from at all for the previous six months to confirm they still require housing, and that their requirements have not changed.
Applicants are contacted by SMS, letter or email, and re-contacted again over a period of four weeks if they do not respond. If an application is closed because of a lack of response, people can be reinstated if they still have a housing need, and the original date of application would still apply- they are not bumped further down the list.
The needs of people applying for social housing can change, which is why they are encouraged to keep their details up to date so that they can be matched with an appropriate property, noting most applicants do maintain regular contact with Housing Connect.
The Hodgman Government is committed to providing affordable housing, with our Affordable Housing Action Plan to deliver affordable housing options for 1600 Tasmanian households over four years, on top of around 1 000 families housed in social housing each year and the over 3500 families assisted by Private Rental Assistance through Housing Connect.
This is compared to Labor and “Whinging Willie” who knew that the waiting list would increase because of the introduction of Housing Connect, a $90 million outstanding maintenance bill, with no plan to develop more social housing at all.