Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson applauds social housing investment in Bucasia, Rural View
The state government is trialling a new scheme to reduce housing stress and Mackay is one of the first towns to benefit.
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The state government will buy up private homes and transform them into social housing with Mackay listed as an early target city.
The government has already entered into contracts to purchase 64 homes across Queensland, including in Bucasia and Rural View, in a $25m scheme to move vulnerable people into accommodation.
Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson has applauded the move but said more needed to be done.
“It is a positive step to address the housing issue,” he said.
“There has been very little spent in the Mackay area on social housing for a decade.”
Mr Williamson confirmed the council was not consulted on the idea before the announcement this week.
“To have contracts entered into, that is surprising,” he said.
The existing dwellings are both houses and units.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the government consulted with housing advocacy group QShelter to design the policy.
“We have made the decision to purchase homes directly on the private market, to get more people into accommodation quicker,” said.
“Many Queenslanders, who have never experienced housing stress before, are struggling and we are committed to doing as much as we can.”
Mackay residents are struggling through a punishing housing market, with a rental vacancy rate consistently below 1 per cent.
Just a week before Mr Miles’ announcement, the council voted to increase its concession on infrastructure charges for social housing developments to 100 per cent.
Reflecting on the vote, Mr Williamson said the council wanted to show it was “serious” about addressing an escalating problem.
“Nobody likes to see a homeless problem where you could have between 700 and 1000 people sleeping rough in our community,” he said.
The Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday councils are also collaborating on region-wide solutions to the crisis.
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