Qld housing crisis: Summit resolves to fast-track disaster shelter

Planning red tape is set to be slashed to speed up the delivery of emergency housing in the wake of natural disasters. This is how it will work.

Planning red tape will be slashed to speed up the delivery of emergency housing in the wake of natural disasters.

Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Steven Miles will announce on Friday that planning approvals will no longer be needed for temporary emergency housing in response to major weather events.

The move will give councils time to plan ahead of disasters to identify sites where temporary housing could be installed to give potential flood victims immediate accommodation.

Mr Miles said thousands of Queenslanders were left without a suitable roof over their heads following the devastating February and March floods in the state’s southeast.

“These changes will give faster access to emergency accommodation during a crisis such as that,” he said.

“Nothing is more important than having a roof over your head. It’s a basic need.

“And the stories of people without secure housing are heartbreaking.”

Queensland is bracing for more wild weather in the months ahead amid warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology of a third La Nina event, with Mr Miles describing his planning changes as timely.

The state government is urging councils throughout Queensland to find suitable land within their communities that could be used for emergency housing.

Deputy Premier, Infrastructure and Planning Minister Steven Miles at Thursday’s housing crisis summit. Picture: Dan Peled/NCA NewsWire

“The recent forecast from the weather experts is that the coming summer will be much the same as the last, which saw large areas of the state devastated by wild weather,” Mr Miles said.

“The amendments will mean there will be more locations where emergency accommodation can be installed quickly, allowing local and state governments to support affected communities with temporary housing until permanent housing options are secured.

“Everyone knows natural disasters will come to Queensland – and more regularly as the climate continues to change – so getting planning in place beforehand is crucial.”

The changes will come into effect from Friday.

More than 1000 Queenslanders were given emergency housing following the flooding crisis earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at the Housing Summit on Thursday that the government would prioritise working with church groups that have offered up vacant land for urgent housing.

“If you’ve got the land identified and you can quickly get it zoned, we can build houses on it,” she said.

“It hasn’t happened before. Everything is on the table today.”

Ms Palaszczuk said other organisations had also offered up land that the government would try to use as emergency accommodation.

Originally published as Qld housing crisis: Summit resolves to fast-track disaster shelter