Burdekin MP Dale Last, Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort, raise concerns over housing stock, social housing
An NQ region is struggling with the widespread housing crisis as renters are being pushed out of the housing market, and others are waiting an average two years for government housing.
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The Burdekin is struggling with the widespread housing crisis with renters being pushed out of the housing market and there is an average of a two-year wait for applicants on the social housing register.
Burdekin Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort described the region’s housing shortage as a complicated “jigsaw puzzle” because the problem was exasperated at all levels.
She said there were 400 fewer rentals on the market because property owners were encouraged to sell-up, in part due to tightening laws which increasingly gave renters more rights over the owner.
Ms Dalle Cort said there was a market for these houses because of increasing demand created by new people moving to the Burdekin from the south.
While there was plenty of available land, owners sitting on vacant blocks, and spare government owned land, Ms Dalle Cort said there was also a problem with building costs caused by inflation.
There was no simple solution for the new mayor, whose election promises included tackling homelessness and increasing available housing.
“It goes around in circles,” she said.
“I wish I had a magic wand.”
Burdekin MP Dale Last said only a fraction of the needs of social housing in his electorate were being met, with 82 high need applicants waiting an average of two years.
He said the state government needed to use more land for housing and to encouraging such investment in the regions, particularly in places such as Ayr and Home Hill.
“As we have seen first-hand in the Burdekin, a lack of private rentals coupled with only a fraction of those urgently seeking social housing actually being provided a home, has resulted in calls for crisis accommodation to soar and the responsibility for that falls squarely on this state government,” Mr Last said.
“In the space of 12 months to June 2022, just 12 allocations were made to social housing properties in the Burdekin equating to a mere fraction of those ‘very high need’ applicants actually being provided with social housing.
“In the meantime those who miss out are left to seek an alternative roof over their head or even perhaps turn to the five crisis accommodation units in the Burdekin.”
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the government would do everything it could to ensure Queenslanders had a home whether through buying, renting, or moving into a social home.
It would offer support through the Homes for Queenslanders $3.1bn plan, which aimed to deliver 53,500 new social homes by 2046.
“That’s why we are Investing almost $390 million to boost homelessness services in our fully costed Homes for Queenslanders plan including a 20 per cent uplift of funding to Specialist Homelessness Services and increasing the support available.,” she said.
“Under the LNP, social housing went backwards by 428 homes and they recently voted against more funding for social and affordability housing in the federal parliament.”
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Originally published as Burdekin MP Dale Last, Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort, raise concerns over housing stock, social housing
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