Trashed public housing sparks push for tough three-strike tenant rules

A former three-strike social housing policy could be reinstated with the government under pressure to address the state’s skyrocketing wait list with tougher rules and management.

The policy was previously used under Campbell Newman’s administration.

A three-strike social housing policy unleashed under the Newman Government could make a comeback, as Housing Minister Sam O’Connor is pushed to confront Queensland’s skyrocketing 52,000-strong housing waitlist with tougher behavioural management rules.

Mr O’Connor claimed there was rampant lack of accountability in dealing with poor behaviour across the system, revealing a five-year gap in income testing had led to glaring disparities among tenants.

In Parliament on Tuesday, Mr O’Connor was asked whether the Newman-era policy would be revived, on the back of announcements this week the government would review tenants’ incomes.

In response he said there had been “pretty disappointing” examples of tenants trashing government-owned property, which was behaviour that needed to be tackled through legislative reform.

He stopped short of confirming whether a formal three-strikes approach would be included in forthcoming policy changes or when reforms would be rolled out.

The Newman Government’s housing minister Tim Mander introduced the three-strikes rule in 2013, under which tenants faced eviction if they committed three breaches, such as vandalism, aggressive behaviour or loud parties, within a 12-month period.

Housing Minister Sam O'Connor. Photo: Steve Pohlner

The Palaszczuk Government scrapped the policy three years later, shifting to a model that prioritised early intervention and tenant support over evictions.

Mr O’Connor said those changes had “watered down” the powers available to housing officers, leaving frontline staff battling increasing strain on resources.

“We need to make sure that our housing officers and our housing service centres across Queensland have the tools that they need to take the action they need to enforce tenancy management,” Mr O’Connor said.

“That’s something that I get feedback everywhere I travel.”

Mr O’Connor’s approach had been described as dismissive and “cold” by Opposition spokespeople, who called for an increase to tenants’ income thresholds.

A single mother with two children would be ineligible for social housing if her annual income including superannuation was more than $45,604 a year, which would be a weekly take home pay at $702.55 per week.

This threshold had remained unchanged since 2006.

When the threshold was raised repeatedly with Mr O’Connor this week, he said, “the eligibility is what it is.”

He also flagged new incentives to encourage tenants to move into homes that better suit their needs, with more than 8,000 social homes currently containing up to two unused bedrooms.

A Queensland Audit Office report in 2022 handed down eight recommendations to improve oversight of the social housing register and better prioritise applicants, including testing income and crossing off uncontactable applicants.

But it stopped short of examining tenant behaviour or property management.

Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick slammed the state government for refusing to adjusting 20-year-old income thresholds for tenants, saying “you don’t solve homelessness by kicking people out on the street.”

Originally published as Trashed public housing sparks push for tough three-strike tenant rules