Housing Land Supply Act Amendment 2026
What is this about?
The State Planning Office (SPO) is seeking broad public input on the draft Housing Land Supply (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026 (draft Bill).
The draft Bill aims to improve the efficiency of the process set out in the Housing Land Supply Act 2018 (HLS Act). It allows government land to be used for social and affordable housing sooner, without compromising opportunities for public consultation.
The key changes are:
- Permitting the Minister to make a Housing Land Supply Order (an Order) after the public consultation period and before the Parliament disallowance period, letting Homes Tasmania to act sooner.
- Reducing the administrative load on Government and the Commission when implementing an approved Order.
- Addressing minor matters that aim to clarify the process and align the HLS Act with the key changes.
- Provisions to align associated acts with the Homes Tasmania Act 2022.
What is not included?
The draft Bill does not change the planning scheme rules that all development applications are assessed against, or any previously made Orders under the HLS Act.
Who is involved?
The SPO is the lead agency in the project. Parliament makes the final decision on changes to legislation.
The Minister for Planning is responsible for preparing, consulting on, and making an Order under the Act.
Homes Tasmania is the only government body/entity that can make a proposal to the Minister for Planning to make an Order. Under the HLS Act, only government land can be used to make an Order.
The Parliament of Tasmania has a role in considering a proposed Order and may disallow it.
To implement a made Order, the Tasmanian Planning Commission makes amendments to the relevant planning scheme.
The local council (as the planning authority) assesses development applications for subdivision and house construction after an Order has been made.
How long will it take?
The aim is to lodge a draft Bill with Parliament in the Autumn 2026 session, after the public consultation ends and all submissions received have been carefully considered
Background
The HLS Act lets the Minister to make Housing Land Supply Orders to rezone or modify the planning scheme requirements for eligible government land, for the development of housing.
It replaces the standard planning scheme amendment process under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (LUPAA), shortening assessment timeframes and rezoning approvals.
The same rigorous assessment criteria used in LUPAA for deciding land suitability for residential development are maintained when the Minister considers requests to make Orders.
When the HLS Act started, demand for housing was high. It continues to increase, spurred on by rising house prices and rents. More needs to be done to increase the supply of land suitable for housing. Within the planning system, the HLS Act permits government land to be rezoned sooner. The draft Housing Land Supply (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026 (the draft Bill) supports this objective.
Life cycle
Proposed Amendment, Status: Complete
The draft Housing Land Supply (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026 (draft Bill) proposes a number of amendments to:
- enable the Minister to make a Housing Land Supply Order after considering the submissions that have been made during the public exhibition period, instead of waiting till after the Parliamentary disallowance period;
- simplify the task of giving effect to an approved Order through amending the relevant planning scheme, which will reduce the administrative load and cost to government;
- clarify the operation of the Housing Land Supply Act process, including removal of redundant features such as reference to the superseded Flinders Island Planning Scheme 2000, and
- update associated Acts to align with the Homes Tasmania Act 2022.
Consultation with the public and key stakeholders will inform any further amendments to the draft Bill. Once finalised, the draft Bill will be tabled and debated by the Tasmanian Parliament.
Have Your Say, Status: Current
The draft Bill is open for public consultation.
The draft Bill and supporting documents are available below.
Consultation will be open from 19 January 2026 and concluding at 5pm Friday 27 February 2026.
You can have your say by making a written submission and posting or emailing it to our office before the consultation period closes.
Your personal information- submission publication
Postal address
State Planning Office
Department of State Growth
GPO Box 536
Hobart TAS 7001
Email address
Review of submissions, Status: Not started
Once complete, all submissions will be reviewed and considered by the Minister before the revised draft Housing Land Supply (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill is tabled in Parliament.
Consultation report released, Status: Not started
A report on the submissions received will be prepared and released.
Bill goes before Parliament, Status: Not started
The draft Bill will be tabled and debated in Parliament in 2026 and if approved will take effect soon after the final debate.