Qld crisis housing at risk as tenants rack up $600k damage bill
Nearly 100 families have been evicted from Queensland's emergency accommodation program as $600,000 in damage bills threaten the scheme's survival.
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Aggressive tenants in crisis motel accommodation have racked up nearly $600,000 in repair bills, sparking fears hoteliers will withdraw from programs supporting vulnerable Queenslanders.
Department of Housing and Public Works director-general Mark Cridland told the parliamentary estimates committee the government had contracted 401 hotels and motels to provide short-term crisis housing amid the cost-of-living crunch.
He said almost 100 families were evicted from specialist homeless services in the past year, with 59 per cent forced out for aggressive or abusive behaviour or breaching motel rules.
“They jeopardise the entire system for everyone that’s in them,” Mr Cridland said.
“At the moment, we have nearly 4000 people in those hotels and motels, and we need to keep access to that to provide that assistance.”
The government has budgeted $380.1m in forward estimates for temporary accommodation as more than 50,000 people wait for social housing.
When questioned about soaring house prices in his Gold Coast neighbourhood, Housing Minister Sam O’Connor conceded social housing income thresholds were low.
But he defended keeping thresholds tight until the waiting list eased.
“This is about that small (minority) who want to cause a disruption and a dangerous environment for the others,” he said, noting more than 99 per cent of tenants do the right thing.
Mr O’Connor said many hoteliers had pulled out due to costly damage.
In the first fortnight of the new financial year, four tenants received final notices for dangerous behaviour, including one case in Caboolture following a police raid that recovered stolen property.
He said the government inherited a housing crisis that required an unprecedented response, and so its priority was increasing housing supply.
The budget allocated $8.1bn to construct one million houses, including 53,000 social and community homes, within the next 20 years.
More than 6000 social homes were under contract to be built across Queensland, with almost 400 confirmed in the week after the 2025-26 budget on June 24.
Opposition housing spokeswoman Meaghan Scanlon pressed the government on whether it continued Labor’s freeze on selling social housing.
Mr Cridland confirmed Parliament had not recommenced a sales program, but said revenue from sales was still factored into the budget, as in previous years.
“The department is continuing to review its portfolio to identify where it may no longer be cost effective to retain ownership of homes due to damage from fires or natural disasters or where homes reach the end of their useful life,” he said.
After the hearing, Ms Scanlon claimed the comments meant the government planned to sell nearly 1000 homes.
“While Queenslanders are sleeping on the streets, the LNP’s only plan is to put a ‘for sale’ sign on social housing,” she said.
“This is the same tired LNP playbook: slash, privatise and walk away.”
Originally published as Qld crisis housing at risk as tenants rack up $600k damage bill
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