The Tasmanian Government is slashing red tape preventing our farmers from housing the workforce they need, as part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future.
Minister for Small Business and Consumer Affairs, Madeleine Ogilvie, said in line with its 100-day commitment, the Government is amending the Residential Tenancy Regulations Act 2015, making it easier for producers to provide on-farm accommodation for workers.
"From September 20, producers will be able to link a worker's residential lease to a term of employment, simplifying arrangements for the employer and enabling more flexible access to accommodation for on-farm workers," Minister Ogilvie said.
"All other protections in the Residential Tenancy Act will continue to apply, including minimum standards for premises, to ensure that housing for primary producer workers is safe and suitable."
Primary Industries and Water Minister, Jane Howlett, welcomed the amendments.
"We've been listening to industry bodies who've made it clear the current red tape makes attracting staff and providing appropriate housing arrangements difficult," Minister Howlett said.
"Our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future backs our farmers. We want Tasmania to be the best place to do business, so we are making it simpler for farmers to provide housing for their staff, which is especially important in regional areas where there may not be many options available."
Acting Minister for Housing and Planning, Roger Jaensch said the Government is also responding to the calls for more certainty around the provision of worker accommodation on farms by commencing formal consultation on further changes to the planning scheme rules with the release of terms of reference this Saturday.
"The proposed changes will make it easier for farmers to manage their workforce accommodation, with more clarity and a simpler approvals pathway for agricultural worker accommodation on farms in Rural and Agricultural Zones," Minister Jaensch said.
"Our Government has introduced significant improvements for agritourism and workers' accommodation with the approval of the State Planning Provisions in 2017.
"The agricultural sector across the majority of the State is already benefitting from these reforms, and with the few remaining rural councils soon to come under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme these will be even more available.
"To ensure these existing reforms are clearly understood, we're also releasing a Fact Sheet to guide rural producers on the different options for agritourism, farm accommodation, and other retail and hospitality activities which create additional income streams."
Primary Employers Tasmania welcomed the clarity the regulation amendments provide.
"We congratulate the Tasmanian Government for listening and enabling farmers to provide on-farm accommodation for employees without the red-tape," Workplace Relations Director Andrew Cameron said.
"We look forward to the changes to legislation which will allow more housing to be built and provided to farmworkers on-farm."
Two key services provided by the Tasmanian Government include free and independent business advice through the Tasmanian Business Advice Service (and the New Business Support Pilot Program) and the information and support provided through the Business Tasmania Service.
Both of these services help Tasmanian businesses to improve their business skills and knowledge, increase resilience, and connect with other programs and support from the Tasmanian Government.
The Fact Sheet will be available on the Planning in Tasmania website at https://planningreform.tas.gov.au/home.
