{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.text}} {{region}} Change location{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change location {{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.text}} {{region}} Change location{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationLocal government candidate shortfall highlights need for council amalgamations
Local government candidate shortfall highlights need for council amalgamations
Member and guest login
Enter your email and password to access secured content, members only resources and discount prices.
Did you become a member online? If not, you will need to activate your account to login.
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
Forgotten password
Need some help?
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
If the email address you have entered is registered, you will receive an email with further instructions.
Become part of the HIA community
Enables quick and easy registration for future events or learning and grants access to expert advice and valuable resources.
Create a guest account
Enter your details below and create a login
Send me exclusive tips, early access to new launches, and special offers. I can change my mind at any time.
By clicking Get started now you agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy.
HIA Executive Director Benjamin Price said the result reflected a system that is struggling.
"If a council can't fill its own seats, it's fair to ask whether it has the capacity to do everything else we expect of it," Mr Price said.
"Tasmania has 29 councils, and every one is a planning authority. Each council needs planners, surveyors and engineers to process development applications, building applications and plumbing applications. But the reality is that many councils already struggle to recruit and retain those people, resulting in inefficiencies, delays and frustration in the delivery of new housing.
"For our members, that means delays and different rules from one council to the next. For home buyers, it means waiting longer and paying more."
Mr Price said the Future of Local Government Review had already made the case for fewer, better-resourced councils.
"The work has been done, but what's been missing is the political will to act on it.
"We understand island and regional communities have particular needs, and any reform has to keep local representation. But the current structure isn't serving Tasmanians well, and during a housing crisis we can't keep putting this off.
“If local government can’t even get sufficient interest in councillor-positions, how can they be appropriately placed to retain these important planning and regulatory functions for housing delivery?”
HIA is calling on the Government to put forced amalgamations back on the table and to consolidate planning and building approval functions so councils have the scale to deliver in the interests of the Tasmanian communities they are meant to serve.
“During a housing crisis, protecting outdated council structures should not come ahead of getting roofs over the heads of Tasmanians.”
For more information please contact:
Queensland needs the workforce to match its investment ambitions
Queensland’s growing pipeline of major projects is putting an increasing premium on skilled construction workers, and workforce planning must keep pace if the state is to deliver the new homes it desperately needs, HIA Executive Director Queensland Michael Roberts said today.
Stop the dividends: Councils broke Tasmania's water system
$120 million already paid to councils, and counting, while TasWater slugs homebuyers on empty blocks
More tradies are needed to build homes for North Queenslanders
North Queensland’s ability to build more homes will increasingly depend on winning the battle for skilled tradies, with housing competing against infrastructure, energy and emerging industries for an already stretched workforce, according to a new report from the Housing Industry Association (HIA).
Local government candidate shortfall highlights need for council amalgamations
Two Tasmanian councils received too few nominations to fill available councillor positions this week, following the close of nominations for local government elections. The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says the result highlights the need for serious local government reform, including forced council amalgamations.