886 blocks: LNP puts spotlight on vacant sites owned by State Government
The LNP had highlighted data that shows the state government owns 886 vacant blocks of land across Queensland, including 44 in Maryborough and 13 in Bundaberg. But Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon has hit back.
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New data has revealed that 886 blocks of land owned by the state government are vacant, including 44 sites in Maryborough and 13 in Bundaberg.
The data, released earlier this year, was shared in a press release this week by the LNP, questioning whether enough was being done as a record number of Queenslanders remained on the social housing waitlist.
It said Ipswich had the most vacant lots at 154, followed by Cairns 84, Logan 74, 44 in Maryborough and 13 in Bundaberg.
It is understood that of these parcels of land, 55 per cent of the sites are programmed for construction, which includes construction work currently underway.
Another 25 per cent of these parcels are heavily constrained by things like significant flood risk
Opposition spokesperson for housing Tim Mander said nearly 46,000 Queenslanders were waiting for a roof over their head.
He said the LNP would deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders by abolishing stamp duty on new homes for first buyers and by delivering 10,000 community homes including 500 in the next two years.
“This is an awfully stressful time for 46,000 Queenslanders on the social housing waitlist who’ve been let down by a 10-year-old government that’s in chaos and crisis.
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the Labor government had almost 2000 homes under construction with a commitment to deliver 53,500 new social homes.
“I’ll put our record of housing delivery up against the LNP any day,” she said.
“Meanwhile the LNP have a record of cuts: they cut the social housing construction budget by 90 per cent, cut 1600 jobs at QBuild and they tried to privatise our public housing stock.
“David Crisafulli has appointed the bloke who did all this to be their housing spokesman again.”
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