Landmark summit: Palaszczuk to head housing crisis talks

Annastacia Palaszczuk has given more details on a landmark summit to tackle Queensland’s housing crisis, while admitting a new plan by the federal government will add more pressure to the already limited availability.

Annastacia Palaszczuk will personally chair a landmark summit to take on Queensland’s housing crisis – with the Premier to host an initial roundtable with advocates and stakeholders as early as this week, promising it will not be simply a “talkfest”.

The Premier’s intervention comes after The Courier-Mail’s Hitting Home series highlighted widespread calls and pressure for Ms Palaszczuk to urgently convene a housing summit, as it exposed the heartbreaking stories of Queenslanders desperately searching for a home.

Ms Palaszczuk said the federal government’s recent increased migration caps to ease the pressure on the shortage of workers will have a knock-on effect on the amount of available housing.

This “added pressure” on the housing crisis in response to providing more workers means National Cabinet is responsible for improving housing stock.

A roundtable will be held this Friday as a first step towards an October summit, which will focus on unlocking land supply, fast-tracking social housing, and bringing together all levels of government.

“Nothing is more important than having a roof over your head – it’s a basic need – and the stories of people without secure housing are heartbreaking,” the Premier said.

“Affordable housing is critical to maintaining our great Queensland lifestyle. Many of the causes of the increased housing costs are national and need national solutions.”

Giving more detail on Tuesday, the Premier said it was critical that all levels of government were involved.

She confirmed the Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner would be in attendance and revealed her desire to ensure key federal government figures were also included.

Ms Palaszczuk said she wanted the summit to include Queenslanders grappling with homelessness to provide their real-world perspectives of the crisis.

“There’s nothing more important than listening to those personal experiences,” she said.

“It is a shock to see people living out of their cars or not being housed.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, centre, will chair the summit. Attending Friday’s roundtable will be Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch, pictured left, and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, along with other government figures and advocates and stakeholders.

Ms Palaszczuk said she would actively encourage all industry leaders and experts to submit their solutions to ease the crisis.

“Nothing is off the table,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk insisted “there will definitely be actions” to emerge from the summit which the state government will follow through on delivering.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning Steven Miles said the disturbing nature of Queenslanders forced into insecure housing had been alarming.

“The stories of single mums sleeping in their cars with their children should be a call for action for all elected leaders and industry leaders,” he said.

“We need more affordable homes.”

Mr Miles, Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch, and Mr Schrinner will be among the elected officials at this week’s roundtable.

They will be joined by stakeholders, such as the Local Government Association of Queensland, Q Shelter, the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS), the Property Council of Australia, and Master Builders.

The government has come under increasing pressure to take action in the past week, as charities revealed how they had resorted to handing out tents as emergency accommodations – with families spending between $300 and $350 a week for a campsite.

QCOSS also issued a warning that more displaced families would be forced to sleep in their cars, as Q Shelter spoke of desperate renters having to make more than 100 applications in a bid to find a home.

Mr Miles said the state’s “housing challenge” had been created by a compounding set of circumstances, including massive population growth, workforce restraints, and multiple weather events.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the state’s “housing challenge” had been created by a compounding set of circumstances. Picture: Liam Kidston

The findings of a new survey released by the Property Council last week revealed up to 220,000 people from Melbourne and Sydney alone could make the move to Queensland in the next five years.

“Queensland is one of the best places in the world to live, and it’s no wonder people are choosing to live, work and grow their families here,” Mr Miles said.

“The Property Council of Australia’s report showed that Queensland’s population grew by almost 750,000 between 2011 and 2021, with close to 90 per cent in South East Queensland.”

The Property Council, QCOSS, Q Shelter, Micah Projects, the LGAQ, and St Vinnies had all called for or offered their support for a state government convened housing summit in the past week.

Leading advocacy group, Queensland Council of Social Service, welcomed the announcement of an urgent summit as a critical step towards improving housing security in the state.

“This announcement shows that the Queensland Premier is listening to the calls from community organisations, the industry, and local government, about just how dire the housing crisis is, and that what is happening now isn’t working,” QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said, who has been a vocal campaigner for the Premier to personally host a summit.

“We all agree that we need more homes built, and this can be achieved in numerous ways.

“We need to ensure that there’s a plan fit for purpose, that meets the demand for social and affordable housing. We need 5,000 social dwellings to be built across the state each year for the next ten years.”

Q Shelter executive director Fiona Caniglia also on Tuesday welcomed the announcement of the summit, saying she wanted it deliver practical and meaningful results.

She said the summit was “reason for hope” for every Queenslander struggling to find and keep a home.

“A challenge of this nature needs all levels of government, the not-for-profit sector and the private sector working together in new and innovative ways,” Ms Caniglia said.

“The complexity of housing systems requires varied interventions including a clear policy framework supporting housing and land supply, backed by genuine investment.

“There is no single answer but rather an interlocking set of urgent initiatives that must be advanced as quickly as possible.”

Queensland executive director of the Property Council, Jen Williams, said the summit was an acknowledgment that many groups had a role to play in tackling the housing crisis.

“All facets of the housing spectrum must be considered at the summit – from social and affordable housing, right through to boosting the delivery of a range of typologies of privately-owned dwellings and rental accommodation,” she said.

“Critically, along with the state government, industry and community stakeholders, the summit will also bring councils to the table to discuss what can be done at a local government level.

“The Property Council is pleased to see the summit has the support of the Lord Mayor of Brisbane.”

Ms Williams said addressing housing in South East Queensland was particularly critical due to the region’s extraordinary population growth.

“Last week the Property Council published research which revealed that 220,000 people from Melbourne and Sydney may move to Queensland in the next five years – the equivalent of the populations of Townsville and Gladstone combined,” she said.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli had also backed the housing summit push, and had vowed to convene his own if the Premier failed to call one herself.

Minister Enoch said the housing crisis could not be solved by just one entity, as she issued a call for all stakeholders to work together.

She said population growth was outpacing the delivery of new land, impacting social housing and putting unprecedented pressure on the private rental market.

“The housing sector is calling for positive action and solutions, and we know building more social housing is only one piece of the puzzle,” Ms Enoch said.

“Better strategy from councils is also needed to make an impact on the housing ecosystem.”

Ms Palaszcuzk defended her government’s current investment in social housing, but acknowledged more needed to be done to ensure every Queenslander could have a roof over their head.

A recent auditor-general’s report suggested the state government’s social housing plans would not be enough to keep up with demand.

Ms Palaszczuk said the outcomes of the Queensland Housing Summit would feed into National Cabinet’s consideration of housing and cost of living.

The state government says there is an urgent need for collaboration among all levels of government and the private sector to address the housing crisis.