Government forced to launch urgent review into short-stay accommodation laws
MERCURY 10 SEPTEMBER 2026
The House of Assembly has passed a motion forcing an urgent government review of Tasmania’s Short-Stay Accommodation Act, after the state’s short stay levy bill was defeated.
The state government will launch a review into its Short-Stay Accommodation Act following a successful lower house motion.
Independent Clark MP Helen Burnett successfully moved a motion in the House of Assembly on Wednesday requiring the government to undertake an urgent review of the Short Stay Accommodation Act.
It passed 19 to 13 with support from Labor, the Greens and crossbench.
The review will invite public submissions, with a final report with recommendations for reform required to be tabled within six months.
It came after the government’s short stay levy bill – which would have imposed a five per cent levy on short stay accommodation – was voted down by the Legislative Council.
Ms Burnett said the motion would provide vital clarity on the scale of the sector, particularly in the wake of the defeated levy bill.
“There is now a clear message to the Government: a levy is not a substitute for a coherent regulatory framework, reliable data or a proper assessment of the impact of short-stay accommodation on housing,” she said.
“We need to understand how many homes have moved from the long-term rental market into short-stay accommodation, where that is happening, what impact it is having on rents and vacancy rates, and what powers councils need to respond.
“This is not about demonising tourism or people who occasionally share their homes.
“It is about recognising that when we have a rental vacancy rate below one per cent, every home removed from the long-term rental market matters.”
The motion notes that whole-home short-stay accommodation properties requiring a permit have increased from 1,950 in June 2019 to 3,671 in June 2026.
Tenants Union of Tasmania principle solicitor Ben Bartl welcomed the move.
“It is incomprehensible that in the midst of a worsening housing crisis our Government has allowed an entire home to be lost to short-stay accommodation each and every day for five years,” he said.
“A review provides an opportunity to strike the right balance with property investors and tourists prioritised over long-term renters for far too long.”
In debate, Treasurer Eric Abetz opposed the motion as unnecessary, arguing the existing short stay act – established in 2019 – was adequately informed by data.
