State government will end sale of social housing homes, vacant land

The Palaszczuk government has sold off hundreds of social housing homes and vacant lots of land in the past 18 months, but is now halting sales because of the escalating demand for housing.

The Palaszczuk government has sold off hundreds of social housing homes and vacant lots of land in the past 18 months, but is now putting a stop to sell-offs because of the escalating demand for housing.

Between January last year and June this year, the state’s Housing Department sold off 295 homes – including 49 that went to tenants – as well as 67 empty blocks of land.

The government has defended the sales, suggesting that the practice has occurred for decades – with homes sold off when it is no longer cost-effective to upgrade them, or when they are no longer fit for purpose.

The revelation about the sales numbers follows a concerning Auditor-General’s report that highlighted how the government’s plan to start building 6365 homes by 2025 would not be enough to keep up with demand.

In the 18 months to June 30, the Housing Department sold 46 social housing properties in Logan, 14 in Ipswich, 18 in Townsville, 16 in Moreton Bay, 12 in Rockhampton, and eight in Fortitude Valley.

Minister for Communities and Housing Leeanne Enoch visits a social housing project under construction in Drayton earlier this year. Picture: Morgan Burley

There were also five vacant lots of land sold in Cairns, four lots in Logan, four lots in Inala, 17 lots in Townsville, as well as 11 in Mount Isa.

In most of the state’s housing catchment areas, the government delivered or started building more social housing homes than what they sold.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch confirmed that since March, her department had paused the sell-off of homes in the South East in response to floods and the “increased demand” for social housing.

Ms Enoch said the move was about maximising the number of homes that could be made available for vulnerable Queenslanders.

“Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic from March 2020, the department has significantly reduced the number of divested surplus dwellings,” Ms Enoch said, in response to a parliamentary question on notice.

The Housing Department would not say how long the pause on sell-offs would last, with a spokesman saying they would “continue to monitor the situation”.

Ms Enoch said the proceeds from any properties or parcels of land that were divested were reinvested into new social housing that better met the needs of social housing applicants. “The department also supports home ownership for social housing tenants through the Sales to Tenant program,” she said.

“This program provides eligible social housing tenants the opportunity to purchase their rental home at market value,” Ms Enoch said.