Shire of Augusta-Margaret River opposed to some aspects of State Government short stay controls

Local planners will advise against some of the State Government’s proposed reforms to the short-stay sector in efforts to further reduce the rise of potentially unregistered operators. As international online platform Airbnb ramped up its fight against measures under consideration of the State Government, pending from a Parliamentary inquiry into the sector, Shire of Augusta-Margaret River planners were concerned some of the proposed changes did not go far enough. “Several of the policy proposed responses are of significant concern to the Shire,” sustainable development and infrastructure director Nick Logan noted in the report tabled last week. Concerns included the exemption from planning approvals for holiday homes used for fewer than 60 days per year, no matter the location, allowing granny flats to operate as hosted accommodation, and a lack of rigour in bushfire protection requirements. “The above measures would undermine and compromise the Shire’s strategic approach to managing holiday-house short-stay accommodation, and could have significant impacts in terms of housing affordability, community safety, and neighbour amenity,” Mr Logan said in the report. “It is recommended that the Shire inform the WA Planning Commission/Department of Planning, Heritage and Lands that these measures are not supported.” Councillors agreed unanimously, though Brian Daniel and David Binks exempted themselves from the debate because they were both short-stay operators. Cr Ian Earl said the pushback against the Government proposal was needed because the Shire had led the State in its investigation and regulation of the short-stay industry. He warned the 60-day registration-free period was not wanted by shire residents. Cr Tracey Muir hoped the State Government paid attention to the feedback from an area with a big short-stay market. “It’s really important local government has the ability to address local needs,” she said. Earlier this week, Airbnb’s Australia-New Zealand country manager Susan Wheeldon urged Airbnb operators to make their views known during the consultation period. “Neither Airbnb nor our host community is opposed to short-term rentals being regulated,” she said. “We welcome rules that are fair, sensible and strike a balance so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of tourism, and are sympathetic to the changing ways people are living and working given the rise of flexible and hybrid work arrangements.” She said WA risked losing travellers to other States “with less restrictive rules”.