Housing crisis Qld: Meaghan Scanlon insists state can meet target
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon has refused to admit Queensland will struggle to meet its ambitious housing targets due to crippling labour shortages.
QLD Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon has refused to admit Queensland will struggle to meet its ambitious housing targets due to crippling labour shortages, after the NSW Premier issued a desperate plea to the federal government for more tradies.
The federal government last August committed to building 1.2 million new homes by 2029, meaning Queensland would need to build 49,000 new dwellings annually.
This is on top of the state government’s promise to deliver an additional 53,500 social homes by 2046.
NSW Premier Chris Minns on Sunday revealed his state would likely not meet its federal housing target of 75,000 builds per year due to chronic labour shortages and he called on the federal government to boost tradie migration to help close the skill gap.
“It’s a matter for them but they’ve got to make a decision about the mix of inbound immigrants to the country every 12 months,” he said.
“We have got major supply constraints when it comes to new home builds in NSW and we need help particularly in construction across the state.
“I think it’s pretty reasonable for NSW to say that there needs to be a priority in relation to that because we need to roll out more housing.”
Over the past decade, an average of 37,500 new homes have been built in Queensland each year – well short of the new 49,000 target.
A worse comparison can be made for the social homes target, which if met, would see Queensland build at least 2400 social dwellings every year for 22 years – a stark increase on the just 5000 homes built over the past nine years.
With just 67,000 residential commercial builders and 26,000 construction workers available in Queensland, questions have been raised over the state’s ability to deliver the housing numbers on top of its $90bn Big Build program, while also hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
But Ms Scanlon refused to admit the numbers were unachievable and said she was focused on delivering the set targets.
“We don’t apologise for being ambitious when it comes to delivering more homes for Queenslanders, we do know there are going to be challenges and that’s why we’ve got free TAFE, free apprenticeships, it’s while we’re rebuilding QBuild, our public builder, to make sure we have more tradies on the tools,” she said.
Ms Scanlon said the government would “keep doing everything” including purchasing vacant retirement villages, use prefabrication and fund training programs in a bid to meet the housing mark.
“We have said we need to ramp up to get to the scale that we need to and we’re going to do everything we can to get there,” she said.
“Anyone who was suggesting though, that this is too much, is telling you they are going to cut, that’s what the LNP’s plan is and we know that because that’s exactly what they did last time.”
MUM’S RELIEF AT RAIL SOLUTION
A mother of three on the brink of homelessness has expressed her shock and gratitude after being selected to move into one of five houses relocated to make way for the Logan-Gold Coast fast rail.
Jobless and unable to afford a $500 weekly rental, Tanika Kelly had been knocked back from more than 100 lease applications and had joined Queensland’s staggering 43,000-strong social housing waitlist.
She was packed and ready to live out of her car with her two young children when she received the call that her family would be moved into the newly relocated Woodridge home.
“It was a huge relief. I’d been in tears almost every day before that not knowing what we were doing,” she said. “I didn’t have anywhere to go … most of my family’s in South Australia.
“We’re all feeling so much more relaxed and settled.
“We’ve got room to breathe and move and live.”
The Kelly’s home is part of the latest group of five houses to be deemed safe to put on a truck, relocated and repurposed as social housing for families, instead of being bulldozed to make room for the Logan Gold Coast Rail corridor.
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the government had slated 22 homes to be demolished and, while some could not be relocated, she wanted to save as many as possible. “They would have just gone to landfill and we can move them and repurpose them,” she said.
More Coverage
Qld mayor, councillor husband in election donation probe
The Sunshine Coast Mayor and her councillor husband, himself a former mayor, have been referred for an electoral investigation over claims they might have received campaign donations from property developers.
Labor, LNP dodge housing pledge as waitlist grows
Both the ALP and the LNP are refusing to reveal when desperate Queenslanders will find a home, as the most recent social housing data reveals 45,987 people are on the social housing waitlist – 514 more than in the three months prior.