Opinion: New Holiday House policy will level the playing field

Published on 07 July 2022

By Harold Tracey

The Shire of Broome Council endorsed a new Local Planning Policy (LPP) last week in relation to Holiday Houses, with the aim of levelling the playing field for all local accommodation providers.

Short-term accommodation options, provided through online booking platforms such as AirBnB, are a hot topic across Western Australia.

The State Government is currently looking to provide uniformity in how short-term accommodation is regulated, but the Shire has taken the initiative on this issue.

There are lots of points to consider.

Accommodation providers like hotels and caravan parks feel it is unfair for short-stay accommodation options to be allowed – especially given the disparity in rates paid by the two options.

There is a rental shortage in Broome (and across WA) that is not made any easier by unregulated short-stay accommodation in our town.

But, also, some homeowners want to use their property to generate income using websites such as AirBnB.

The Shire has carefully considered all these points of view through a public submission process, with our new LPP having the aim of working well for everyone.

The new LPP will allow short-term accommodation options such as AirBnB to operate in parts of Broome, like residential areas, which were previously not allowed.

However, the important part of this equation is that the homeowner will need to register with the Shire as a legitimate provider for this to happen, with applications assessed on a case-by-case basis.

There will also be a review of the Shire’s Differential Rate Model, with holiday houses no longer falling into the base Residential rate.

There should be flexibility for visitors to Broome to choose different types of accommodation options – we believe this new Policy will facilitate this in a fair way.

However, it is important to note that this new Policy will not come into immediate effect.

The Shire recently went through the lengthy process of reviewing our Local Planning Scheme, with this important update now awaiting approval and gazettal from the State Government.

If and when this happens, the new Holiday House LPP will take effect – we will keep the community informed on progress here.

Holiday houses and the provision of short-term accommodation is a complex issue – and one that fosters different opinions across our community.

However, once this new Policy comes into effect, a level playing field for everyone will be set thanks to the Shire taking the initiative to provide a local response to this State-wide issue.

Harold Tracey is the Shire of Broome president.