Meaghan Scanlon slammed as housing summit faces hard facts

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon attended a regional summit for just 30 minutes as industry leaders heard the homeless crisis hitting Queensland “would get worse before it gets better”.

A regional housing summit’s dire mood was palpable as a broad camp of industry advocates heard things “would get worse before they get better”.

As millions is splashed on projects across southeast Queensland to put roofs over the heads of those living on the streets, the Greater Whitsunday region is scrambling for its own solution.

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon made a whirlwind visit to Mackay on Tuesday to appear at the Greater Whitsundays Housing Summit, which pulled together developers, mayors, architects, and community advocates to workshop how to stymie the rising rates of homelessness.

Ms Scanlon was there for less than 30 minutes before travelling north to Cannonvale in the Whitsundays to inspect 12 new social homes.

Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm said Ms Scanlon’s cameo was disappointing.

Minister for Housing Meaghan Scanlon appearing at Estimates hearing. Thursday August 10, 2023. Picture, John Gass

“(She) didn’t make time to hear from the locals in the room who clearly outlined the impacts the crisis was having on the region and also provided local solutions that may help alleviate the problem,” Ms Camm said.

The Minister on Wednesday hit back saying: “The LNP Member for Whitsunday’s comments are incorrect.”

“I sat down and met with all three mayors, event organisers and attendees from 7am, well before the Member for Whitsunday rocked up.

“While in the region, I also visited a social housing project we’re delivering in the Whitsunday electorate and actually spoke to builders on the ground, Qbuild and a member of our housing service centre on the ground.

“ Once again the LNP choose to mislead Queenslanders, ignoring the fact that the Housing Investment Fund (HIF) has already purchased homes in regional communities like Townsville.

“ They’ve also chose to deliberately ignore that the HIF is one of a number of programs that is delivering housing in regional Queensland.

“Through our QuickStarts program alone, we have another 100 homes in the pipeline for the region.

Housing opposition spokesman Tim Mander earlier said “not one cent” of the state government’s $2bn housing investment fund had been used to build a home in regional Queensland.

Mr Mander further slammed Ms Scanlon for not setting social housing waiting list targets for the next 12 months.

Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive Aimee McVeigh earlier told The Courier Mail there was around 300,000 Queenslanders with unmet housing need.

It was revealed this week that more than 7000 applicants were removed from the social housing register, with more than half of those scrubbed off the list due to being uncontactable by the department.

Mackay’s waiting list has almost tripled in the six years to 2022, with 1714 registered compared to 638 registered in 2017.

Greater Whitsundays Communities, which hosted Tuesday’s summit with Regional Development Australia Greater Whitsunday, had earlier commissioned a $100,000 report from URBIS to offer a knowledge-base from which to draw solutions.

Greater Whitsunday Housing Summit panel including QShelter's Fiona Caniglia, UDIA's Sean Sandford, architect Amy Degenhart, Blue CHP's Darren Mew and Woollam Constructions' Craig Percival. Photo: Zoe Devenport

The full report is yet to be finalised, but a ‘Playbook’ was issued to provide an “evidence base” for the sake of summit discussions.

The Playbook detailed the challenges facing the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regions, including increased rental stress combined with reduced rental stock, population growth, and “notably higher than the national average” building costs.

It added there were presently 5400 lots approved for development which were not being acted on.

URBIS director Julie Saunders described the housing situation as a Gordian Knot, saying “business as normal will not work” to fix the crisis.

URBIS director Julie Saunders compared the housing crisis to a Gordian Knot, pictured on the screen. Photo: Zoe Devenport

She said the crisis “was going to get worse before it gets better, unfortunately”.

To cut the knot, the Playbook recommends forming a Greater Whitsunday Region Housing Futures Alliance that could for example identify key housing projects like retirement or aged living projects in Moranbah, Bowen and the Pioneer Valley.

Other suggestions included initiatives to spur on private development, better aligning land use and infrastructure plans to promote sustainable housing supply, and for the government to become a leader in funding housing.

Woollam Constructions managing director Craig Percival said West Mackay OzCare was already at 98 per cent occupancy. Picture: Heidi Petith

Woollam Constructions managing director Craig Percival said Mackay desperately needed more aged care, with the recently completed OzCare facility in West Mackay 120 beds already at 98 per cent capacity since opening in 2020.

“It was the fastest filling facility that they’ve built over recent years and they’ve got a number of them throughout Queensland,” Mr Percival said.

It is understood more than 30 senior residents were currently living at Mackay Base Hospital while they wait for vacancies to open up.

Homelessness was also a key issue, with a proposal for a homeless support “precinct” championed by Australian Street Aid Project founder Kayleigh Brewster.

The housing summit comes just a day before national cabinet will meet in Brisbane to discuss proposals to increase housing supply and affordability.

Originally published as Meaghan Scanlon slammed as housing summit faces hard facts