The organization responsible for delivering thousands of new homes will be reviewed to determine how effective it has been in putting a roof over the heads of Tasmanians in need.

Homes Tasmania was established two years ago to provide social and affordable housing, with a target of 10,000 new homes by 2032.

Housing Minister Felix Ellis announced the review on Tuesday and said it would examine the effectiveness of the body.

The independent review will be led by former NSW Auditor General Margaret Crawford PSM (Public Service Medal).

The list of social housing is exploding

Independent Franklin MP David O’Byrne used Parliament to call for a review of Homes Tasmania in July.

He said his concerns stemmed from “pretty appalling statistics” in terms of housing waiting lists and lack of housing delivery.

The current waiting list for social housing has reached 4,912 applications, compared to 4,672 in October last year.

At the end of October this year, priority applicants on the housing register were waiting 88 weeks.

Mr O’Byrne said he had always had concerns about Homes Tasmania’s model, which he described as being “agnostic of government”.

“This government’s decision to hand responsibility for social housing to an independent statutory authority has, in my view, been a failed experiment which has only made the housing crisis worse,” he said.

Homes Tasmania is a statutory authority that assumed housing-related functions from the disbanded Department of Communities.

“The list of social housing is exploding. This is simply unacceptable.”

When Mr O’Byrne raised issues with Homes Tasmania in Parliament, Mr Ellis admitted the model “wasn’t working perfectly yet”.

“Since taking on this significant portfolio I have checked in with my department and Homes Tasmania to ensure this model is working as it should, as I can also recognize that it is not yet working perfectly” , Mr. Ellis said in July.

In a statement, Greens housing spokesperson Vica Bayley welcomed the review.

“The Liberals’ announcement of a review of Homes Tasmania two years ago is an acknowledgment that their plan to build 10,000 homes simply isn’t working,” Mr Bayley said.

“The Greens have always argued that to ensure Tasmanians have the homes they need, the Liberals should significantly increase investment in building new homes.”

Vacant land included in housing delivery figures

In July, Homes Tasmania told a parliamentary committee it was a third of the way to meeting the government’s target of 10,000 new homes by 2032.

At the end of May, 3,422 social and affordable housing units had been built or purchased since October 2020.

But its figures included 113 crisis accommodation places and 323 plots within the target.

The review will focus on the effectiveness of its governance structures, the transparency of its public reporting on its performance and its role in the provision of housing, homelessness and crisis accommodation.

Homes Tasmania has a portfolio of property and land assets valued at $4.44 billion. It is made up of 13,200 properties.

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