Qld parliament live: Palaszczuk reveals housing crisis action plan
A multimillion-dollar cash injection to keep people in homes and help those sleeping rough and a major audit of state-owned land and buildings will form the state government’s response to the recent Housing Summit.
A multimillion-dollar dollar cash injection to keep people in homes and help those sleeping rough and a major audit of state-owned land and buildings to identify what can be turned into housing will form the state government’s response to the recent Housing Summit.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday revealed a suite of solutions identified following the landmark summit in October, which was sparked by The Courier-Mail’s Hitting Home campaign.
New measures include injecting an additional $56m to the nearly $4bn funding pot, with $11.7m to help about 2500 Queensland stay in their leases to avoid homelessness, $10m for targeted loans and grants and $10m to set up extra temporary emergency accommodation with on-site support.
Ms Palaszczuk revealed an audit of state-owned land and buildings was underway and would be completed within three months, in the hopes of identifying properties which can be transformed into public housing.
The government will also strengthening the remit of the state’s planning agency Economic Development Agency to include social housing.
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Deputy Premier Steven Miles, speaking in parliament, also mentioned Economic Development Queensland would plan for a “post Olympic housing stock boost achieved through the use of Olympic village infrastructure.
The planning approval process for housing projects, particularly social and affordable housing, will be “streamlined” to “promote increased housing supply diversity and affordability”.
A new Housing Delivery Board will be set up to oversee and deliver the recommendations from the summit.
Pressure to fix an escalating housing crisis in Queensland had already sparked some action prior to the summit, including the doubling of the Housing Investment Fund to $2bn and planning changes allowing for granny flats to be rented on the private market.
Originally published as Qld parliament live: Palaszczuk reveals housing crisis action plan
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