Working together we can improve housing outcomes for a happier and healthier population, writes Adrienne Picone.
EVERY day, the community services industry is at the coalface of this cost of living crisis, supporting Tasmanians through the challenges and hardships they are experiencing.
Every day, we are hearing from community members who are becoming increasingly worried about accessing housing, health care and education, as well as paying for their rent, energy, transport and food costs.
They are anxious about their future and frustrated by government inaction and a failure to meaningfully tackle cost of living pressures.
And as we go to the polls again for the fourth time in seven years, this frustration will only grow unless the people we elect can demonstrate a willingness to change: to place a renewed focus on our wellbeing by investing in the areas that truly matter to Tasmanians.
Housing is a priority issue that remains one of the key foundations to living a good life. Without a safe, secure roof over your head, it is much more difficult to get ahead, to find and hold down employment, or to access schooling and training opportunities.
Affordability and availability in the Tasmanian housing market has been in an accelerated state of decline. Long gone are the days where our house prices could have been considered a competitive advantage over our mainland friends.
Right now, rental affordability is at an all-time low. Rental costs have increased by 43% in five years and Tasmanians are continuing to be priced out of the private rental market.
TasCOSS’s Tasmania’s State of Housing Dashboard confirms that finding a rental in a tight market remains near impossible with Hobart’s rental vacancy rate sitting at 0.6%, well short of a healthy vacancy rate of 3%.
This perfect storm of low supply, high competition and unaffordable rents is forcing Tasmanians onto the social housing waitlist or into unsuitable and unsafe lodgings, and in the worst cases, homelessness.
Anglicare Tasmania’s Rental Affordability Snapshot 2025 found that 0% of properties listed in late March 2025 were affordable for people on the lowest incomes. This is not an aberration. It is the second year in a row.
The lack of affordable rental properties is a barrier to addressing other social issues, such as domestic and family violence, bed-block in the public hospital system and persistent disadvantage.
We must not be complacent and accept it as the new normal. It is incumbent on the next state government to prioritise solutions to bring it under control.
TasCOSS is calling for more ambitious policy reforms, starting with urgently bringing forward the review of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997, to provide better protections for renters and avoid more Tasmanians becoming at risk of homelessness.
As highlighted by the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania, Shelter Tasmania and others, many Tasmanians are putting up with substandard rental conditions, such as poorly insulated homes or mould, or taking out loans simply to keep a roof over their heads.
Housing advocates have also identified there is a direct connection between poor quality housing stock and poor health outcomes. The Tasmanian rental market includes some of the worst quality housing stock with a vast majority of rentals not meeting healthy energy efficiency ratings.
Tasmanians have the right to live in healthy homes with an affordable supply of energy. Minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties will ensure Tasmanians who rent can benefit from healthier homes and lower power bills over the long-term, because less energy is required to heat or cool a home.
Energy affordability continues to be a key concern for households this election, as electricity costs have risen by 26% in three years, adding about $500 per year extra to an average household’s energy bill.
Energy rebates to support customers in need are necessary in the current climate of rising electricity prices and a cost of living crisis, but they should be better targeted to provide greater support to those most in need.
One-off rebates provided to everyone, such as the Renewable Energy Dividend, are poorly targeted, expensive, and don’t provide the permanent bill relief that other solutions offer, in particular home energy efficiency upgrades.
TasCOSS is calling for increased investment in household energy efficiency upgrades for low income households and renters, to improve energy affordability by lowering consumption and reducing energy costs over the long-term.
By government, industry and community working together we can improve housing outcomes for Tasmanians, which will ultimately result in a healthier population and cost savings for government.
We challenge all parties and candidates to show Tasmanians they have their best interests at heart, and make brave, bold and targeted investments which will improve wellbeing now and for generations to come.
For more information about our election asks and analysis, visit tascoss.org.au/2025-tasmanian-election.
Adrienne Picone is the chief executive of the Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS).