Think small: What expert housing panel wanted to tell the government

An expert panel established by the former Queensland Labor government to “unlock housing solutions throughout the state” used its final meeting, during the caretaker period before the election, to reflect on where the process had gone wrong.

The Housing Supply Expert Panel was established in 2022 by then deputy premier Steven Miles, who wanted it to focus on south-east Queensland but later gave it a broader remit to cover the entire state.

Meeting via Microsoft Teams on October 1, the panel members discussed their frustration at a lack of engagement with the government and how “not enough has been done to ‘cut through’ and make a positive impact on housing supply”.

An expert panel appointed by the Queensland government wanted small lots to host more than one home.Credit: Aresna Villanueva

Unpublished minutes of the meeting, obtained under the Right to Information Act, show members “expressed their disappointment” at being kept in the dark ahead of government announcements and not being consulted on policies. That was despite the “challenging” expansion of their scope to encompass regional areas.

According to the minutes, they had no involvement in the February 2024 announcement of the Homes for Queenslanders plan, and were only briefed by then housing and planning minister Meaghan Scanlon a month later.

They were not even briefed ahead of the release of a routine update on land supply – a subsequent communiqué noted their “keen interest” – and, according to the minutes, felt feedback on other suggestions they made during their term would have been useful.

“The information brought to the panel seemed more controlled in the last 12 months, with the current election cycle seemingly impacting on the department’s ability to provide information to the panel,” the minutes state.

Panel members were asked at the October meeting what else the government could be doing to “increase land and housing supply, diversity and affordability”, and proceeded to offer suggestions without knowing whether they would still have an advisory role after the election.

Declaring “aspirational leadership should be encouraged, for Queensland to do its own thing”, the panel members put their advice in writing: allow for smaller homes on smaller lots, not just apartment towers; and pursue tax and regulatory reform.

“There is an opportunity to increase housing supply by exploring development options for infill housing on detached dwelling lots between 300m2 and 1000m2,” the minutes state.

“Shifts in household sizes are resulting in under-occupation of housing. 70 per cent of people prefer detached dwellings. Possible policy options could be explored to increase density and develop smaller homes (gentle density with duplexes, triplexes and townhouses) on small lots.”

“There are opportunities to work on tax settings, annual land tax and stamp duty, and to reduce the complexity and layering of regulations.”

The panel members – experts in urban planning, architecture, housing, development, real estate and economics – were chosen after a national call for expressions of interest.

Miles had said the Labor government wanted to “ensure we have the depth and breadth of advice needed to unlock housing solutions throughout the state”.

After Miles led Labor to an election loss in October, the incoming LNP government decided it no longer required the panel’s services. No communiqué was released on their final meeting.

With Greater Brisbane tipped to become home to a majority of Queenslanders within months, the former government came under pressure to respond to population growth.

The current south-east Queensland regional plan, released by Miles in 2023, proposes councils “facilitate increased gentle density across SEQ” in selected areas, where they might allow “freestanding small lots or freehold title terrace-style development”.

Examples range from a house with a secondary dwelling, such as a granny flat on a small lot, to row or terrace housing, duplexes and triplexes on larger blocks. This was dependent on action by councils, however, and seemingly lower density than the panel called for at its last meeting.

Brisbane City Council was expected to facilitate the biggest increase in homes. It has rules for small lots (defined as being under 450m2), multiple dwellings and dual occupancy developments, which vary depending on their location.

Underneath the headline population growth, the city’s shifting demographics are well known among stakeholders, and it is not the first time experts have called for more diversity in housing types.

The former government initiated a design project aimed at defining ‘Distinctly Queensland’ housing types. In the first stage, it has consulted on siting and design provisions for secondary dwellings, such as granny flats, but there is no timeframe for the release of the draft code.

In December, Domain released data showing the demand for smaller homes. The strongest 12-month price growth for houses in Brisbane was for properties with two bedrooms (21.6 per cent) rather than properties with three bedrooms (11.1 per cent) or four bedrooms (13.6 per cent).

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