Treasurer Cameron Dick criticised over unfinished build-to-rent Brisbane apartments
A major housing development unveiled by the Queensland government two years ago to house hundreds of tenants remains unfinished, sparking criticism from the LNP.
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A major housing development unveiled by the state government two years ago to house hundreds of tenants remains unfinished, prompting criticism from the LNP.
Private build-to-rent developments at three sites across Brisbane were announced by Treasurer Cameron Dick in 2020 and 2021, with the original plan to house more than 750 tenants by the end of last year.
The Queensland Housing and Homelessness Action Plan aimed to have more than 750 build-to-rent apartments “completed by late 2023”, but a project schedule updated soon after the action plan was released noted completion of the projects would now be in 2024.
Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki criticised the government, arguing another of its “signature housing announcement has been stuck in the ground”.
“Labor’s only priority is announcing new housing plans, not delivering the ones they’ve already promised, and Queenslanders are paying a high price for these failures,” he said.
“How can Queenslanders trust any Labor promise when not a single one of their 750 Build To Rent apartments have been built?
“No Queenslander will be sheltered by these projects anytime soon.
“Labor’s credibility lies in tatters as again they fail to understand that making announcements is not the same as delivering.”
However, Mr Dick said the developments were private sites with the government only subsidising rent once they were built.
“These privately built projects have been subject to construction delays that have affected the entire construction sector,” he said.
“In November 2023, Master Builders Queensland said completion time for apartment projects in Queensland had risen by an average of six months, or over 25 per cent.
“The LNP should stop attacking property developers and the community-housing sector and explain what corners they would cut to guarantee faster private-sector construction.”
It is understood the state is subsidising about 25 per cent of rent.
The developments, at 210 Brunswick St, 60 Skyring Tce and 50 Quay St, were eyed for completion in late 2023 or 2024.
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