Climate change, tax policy and national licensing were among the items on the agenda when Minister for Housing Michael Sukkar sat down with the Real Estate Institute of Australia board in Hobart on Thursday.

Mr Sukkar joined the directors and CEOs of the state branches at the meeting to discuss developments within the sector.

It comes after the Member for Deakin was announced as the Minister for Housing last month, a portfolio the REIA had previously advocated to be instated within the Government ministry for more than eight years.

REIA President Adrian Kelly told WILLIAMS MEDIA he was pleased to welcome Mr Sukkar to his home town for what he described as a "productive" meeting. 

"When his appointment was announced, he got in touch and asked when we could all catch up," he said.

"With these meetings, you generally get a pretty good group of industry representatives in the one room, which doesn't happen too often.

d9erft8u8aeh2jh.jpg

Michael Sukkar in Hobart on Thursday. Source: @MichaelSukkarMP

"It's great that we now have a one stop shop for any issues we might have, whereas previously we were split up into four or five different departments."

The REIA Board meets four times each year, with Thursday's meeting being the first since last month's election.

Mr Kelly said while there was a debrief of the REIA's campaign, there was also plenty of discussion on what lay ahead for the industry.

"We're planning a revamp of all our policies in the coming months and then present that back to the government.

"There are a few things we don't have policies on which we should have, such as climate change.

"A lot of our members work in coastal areas across the country, so we are going to have a good look at that.

"We also talked about federal policies around housing can relate to state-based taxes, and whether there is a better way of administering taxes such as stamp duty." 

The REIA Board meeting was not Mr Sukkar's only commitment in Tasmania, with the Assistant Treasurer also attending Hobart City Council's Housing and Homelessness Forum which sought to find immediate solutions to address housing stress, particularly in greater Hobart. 

He also met with Tasmanian Housing Minister Roger Jaensch to discuss the state's $157 million housing debt to the Commonwealth.

Mr Jaensch told The Advocate that while Mr Sukkar did not commit to waving the debt, he "left the door for discussions in the coming weeks".

Similar to this: 

'Time to get on with it' - REIA President's blunt message following election

REIA launches election campaign to raise awareness of policy issues

APRA set to remove 7 per cent serviceability buffer on home loans