Queensland’s public housing shame exposed

The Housing Minister has defended the Palaszczuk government’s record on social housing amid revelations Queensland is spending the least on public housing in the country.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch has defended the Palaszczuk government’s record on social housing amid revelations Queensland is spending the least on public housing in the country.

The Productivity Commission found Queensland’s net recurrent spend on social housing services was $130.33 per capita last financial year – putting the Sunshine State behind every other state and territory.

The figures – which exclude capital expenditure – put the Sunshine State well behind the average spend across the country of $178.76 per person and $386.36 in the ACT.

The same data also showed Queensland’s capital expenditure on social housing hit $314.6m for the last financial year – down from $327.2m in 2020-21 and $414.2m in 2017-18.

Queensland Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch visits a social housing construction site at Eight Mile Plains in Brisbane on Wednesday. Picture: NCA Newswire / Dan Peled

In comparison, Victoria forked out $1.13bn on capital expenditure in 2021-22, while NSW spent $605.4m, Western Australia spent $259.1m, and South Australia spent $89.8m.

In response to the revelations, Ms Enoch said the data was a “point in time” and suggested it excluded several programs – such as crisis accommodation.

She repeated what her department told The Courier-Mail on Tuesday – pointing out the data was collected at a time when Queensland experienced “record migration” into the state.

“It also does not account for the fact that since that data was captured, we’ve seen a record investment from the Palaszczuk government in this space,” the Minister said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk convened a Housing Summit last year but the Government has been slammed for its spending on public housing.

The government committed an extra $1bn to their Housing Investment Fund at last year’s Housing Summit – which was called off the back of The Courier-Mail’s Hitting Home series.

“The thing that’s very important in all of this is the Housing Investment Fund now gives us some guaranteed funding into the future to ensure that we are building at pace with what we are seeing in terms of the migration into our state,” Ms Enoch said.

The state’s Auditor-General recommended last year the Housing Department model future demand for social housing – something that Ms Enoch’s department accepted.

Asked about where the modelling was up to on Wednesday, Ms Enoch said it was a “cross agency body of work”.

“That is continuing on,” she said.

“Obviously some of our immediate issues are about being able to house people right now.”

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli. Picture Lachie Millard

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said only effective investment in new social housing would help solve the state’s housing “crisis”.

“Media announcements and brochures can’t help people who don’t have a home,” he said.

LNP housing spokesman Tim Mander said the tens of thousands of Queenslanders waiting for accommodation deserved better, as he called on the government to “empower the community housing sector”.

Queensland is falling woefully behind other states as well, with the net recurrent per capita expenditure on social housing in Victoria at $131.53, while in Tasmania it was $257, in NSW it was $180.98 and in South Australia it was $240.76.

Queensland’s net recurrent expenditure on social housing in 2021-22 was up from $127.05 per person in 2020-21 – but still down from the $140.29 per capita spend in 2019-20.

In a statement, a Housing Department spokeswoman pointed out that during 2021, Queensland recorded its highest net interstate migration since 1994 – with the state now home to an extra 57,000 people.

“This impacts the per person calculation,” she said.

“We know that many Queenslanders are doing it tough, but the Queensland government is taking action. We’re investing $3.9bn in social and affordable housing – the largest concentrated investment in Queensland’s history.”

The spokeswoman said the Productivity Commission data showed an increase of more than 500 social housing dwellings in Queensland in 2021-22.

She pointed out the data did not take into account the extra $1bn the government committed to its Housing Investment Fund at last year’s Housing Summit.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk convened the summit following The Courier-Mail’s Hitting Home series.

“The national report on government services (from the Productivity Commission) has shown Queensland is delivering more public housing for Queenslanders in need,” the spokeswoman said.

“The government committed another $56m as part of the Queensland Housing Summit Outcome Report to provide additional immediate support for Queenslanders who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.”