Labor, LNP dodge housing pledge as waitlist grows

Both Labor and the LNP are refusing to reveal when desperate Queenslanders will find a home, as the social housing waitlist blows out.

Premier Steven Miles and Member for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon will make a housing announcement at New Street, Nerang. Pics Adam Head

Labor won’t say when its $3.1bn housing plan will result in fewer Queenslanders languishing on the social housing waitlist, despite a huge 55 per cent increase since 2017.

Both the ALP and the LNP are refusing to reveal when desperate Queenslanders will find a home, as the most recent social housing data from the three months to June 30 reveals 45,987 people are on the social housing waitlist – 514 more than the 45,473 in the three months prior.

Premier Steven Miles travelled to Nerang for a social housing announcement on Saturday, while Opposition Leader David Crisafulli hit Redlands and promised to clean up Moreton Bay.

Mr Miles, joined by his Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon at Nerang in her battleground seat of Gaven on Saturday morning, was unable to say when he expected to see a reduction in the number of people on the social housing waitlist.

The Premier deferred to measures in his Homes for Queenslanders plan to help renters and people get into their own home.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli has also not released a social housing target. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“It has been pleasing to see that our measures have started working in terms of rent increases,” he said.

“Those rent increases have tended to stabilise across the state. That’s good news, but we want to keep doing the work that leads that stabilisation.”

Mr Crisafulli has also not released a target for reducing the social housing waitlist but argued his plan for the sector would yield results.

The waitlist for social housing was 29,636 in 2017, meaning it has increased about 55 per cent since then.

Ms Scanlon declined to say when the government’s efforts would reduce the social housing waitlist but indicated fewer Queenslanders were seeking shelter.

“We have seen a reduction in the event of applications of the social housing register based on the most recent data,” she said.

“Our focus is delivering the houses, because that’s the best way we can get those numbers down, but that’s in contrast to the LNP, you could drive a truck through their housing slogans.”

Ms Scanlon said the government measured applications above the number of people on the waitlist.

“That determines houses, obviously you don’t house a three-year-old without their parents and so that’s why we look at applications as the priority,” she said.

The state government has come under attack from the LNP over the lack of benefit from its $2bn housing investment fund.

Mr Crisafulli has promised to increase the number of social homes but wouldn’t say how the waitlist would be reduced.

“Every single cent of the housing investment fund will be used for new social houses,” he said. “Three years ago, the government announced a $2bn fund, and as of today, not one Queenslander is living in a new dwelling built by that housing investment fund.”

The LNP has pledged to add one million homes and 53,500 social homes to the Queensland market, with 10,000 social homes possibly built under a partnership with church groups.

Deputy Premier Cameron Dick was twice unable to say when the social housing waitlist would shorten if Labor was re-elected.

“We have a fully costed and fully funded plan for housing in Queensland,” he said.

“Our … $3.1 billion plan is fully costed, and to pull and push all of the necessary leavers to get more Queenslanders into their own home.”

Mr Crisafulli faced further fire on Saturday about the lack of a tax plan and confirmation early voters will head to the ballot box on October 14 without knowing the LNP’s economic plan. He did not rule out future changes to tax and refused to say how much the LNP had racked up in election promises so far.

Originally published as Labor, LNP dodge housing pledge as waitlist grows