Short stay is hollowing out our city, and it’s time we did more about it
I was on ABC Morning Radio this week talking about the short stay accommodation crisis in Hobart, and I want to put my thoughts down properly for anyone who missed it.
The blunt reality is this: doubling the rates on short stay properties several years ago hasn’t been enough. We are still losing houses. The oversaturation continues, and Hobart’s housing crisis is as acute as ever.
When short stay takes over a street, you don’t just lose a neighbour. You lose the whole network that holds a community together. The person who collects your mail when you’re away. The one who takes an elderly neighbour’s bins in, or drops round dinner occasionally, or just keeps an eye out.
We need stronger action on short stay in Hobart. The current settings aren’t working, and the evidence — and the lived experience of thousands of Tasmanians — makes that clear.
Find out more about what I’m doing to tackle the Housing Crisis here.