Council gifts Gin Gin property to Qld govt for social housing units
Efforts to alleviate the pressure of a housing crisis in which more than 1200 people are waiting for social housing across the Bundaberg region have taken a major step forward.
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Progress towards alleviating the region’s housing crisis is being made with the gifting of land to the state government by Bundaberg council for social housing.
Months of negotiations with the government since October 2022 culminated in a motion gifting 28 and 30 Mary St, Gin Gin, to the government with unanimous support at Tuesday’s Bundaberg council meeting.
Ownership of the 2328sq m parcel of land opposite Gin Gin State School will be transferred to the state government through a deed of gift requiring them to begin construction of social housing units on the site within 18 months from the date of transfer.
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If the government does not begin construction within this time, council can exercise an option to have the land returned to council ownership.
In the council briefing meeting on December 13, Councillor Tracey McPhee noted the council had proactively offering the land in Gin Gin, among other parcels located elsewhere including Childers, as a contribution towards solving the housing crisis prior to the government’s Queensland Housing Summit in October 2022.
On Tuesday Division 3 representative Wayne Honor congratulated the council officers including Group Manager Development Michael Ellery “for taking a proactive approach to what is a crisis in our community”.
“This will provide an opportunity for some families to apply for a residence that will give opportunities to both the primary schools and the secondary school in our community where our school chaplains ... work hard for our community and our young people,” he said.
“It will be a relief for them to be able to refer people to state government housing, and I look forward to this coming to fruition.”
When introducing the motion Mayor Jack Dempsey said Council “knows well and truly what is happening in relation to the housing crisis right around Australia”.
“But certainly we’re doing everything possible to deal with it here locally within our region, whether it be from housing action plans to this initiative that started in October 2022,” Mr Dempsey said.
“So the current shortage of housing and in particular affordable housing within the Bundaberg region is an ongoing matter and is recognized well and truly within our community as a major need.”
Mr Dempsey said he had contacted the newly appointed housing minister Meaghan Scanlon to congratulate her on her new role and highlight the council’s proposal to gift further parcels of land around the region for use as social housing.
A Queensland Department of Housing spokesperson said the department is working with Bundaberg Regional Council regarding the future use of the site, and would execute the draft agreement received from council transferring the property to state ownership subject to due diligence.
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The Queensland Social Housing Register has 1255 people waiting for social housing in the Bundaberg Regional Council jurisdiction, with people waiting an average of 22 months on the waitlist.
From the 804 applications currently pending in 2023, 801 have been identified as having a high or very high housing need.
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