Hinchinbrook by-election: Labor says housing affordability suffers under LNP
The Labor candidate for the Hinchinbrook by-election says housing is more unaffordable than ever under the ruling LNP.
Shadow Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon and the Labor candidate for the Hinchinbrook by-election, Maurie Soars, say housing is more unaffordable than ever before under Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and the ruling LNP.
“Rents in Hinchinbrook have gone up by more than seven per cent and rents in Townsville have gone up by more than 10 per cent,” she said.
“Meanwhile, this government has axed affordable housing projects, they’ve axed cost-of-living relief like energy rebates and reduction of car rego (registrations) and they’ve made it even harder for homeless Queenslanders to get access to supportive housing.”
Speaking in the Ingham CBD, Ms Scanlon said Hinchinbrook Shire was “absolutely smashed” in the deadly February floods.
“We know that that has placed a really big strain on our rental market here and instead of building more social and affordable housing projects, the LNP are cutting projects across the state, which is pushing working people out of the very communities that they grew up in and that they serve.”
Ms Scanlon said that despite this, Housing Minister Sam O’Connor had already attempted to take credit for two Labor-led housing initiatives in Ingham.
“No doubt, the housing minister will rock up to this community to try and con Queenslanders into actually doing something when in fact these projects were funded by Labor,” he said.
“Sam O’Connor’s only actions so far are effectively to take credit for Labor projects and con Queenslanders while he axes affordable housing projects.”
The former cabinet minister who is also shadow attorney-general and justice minister said the LNP had cut 10,000 homes across the state “because the LNP have axed both social and affordable housing targets”.
“The government is just not delivering the type of affordable housing stock that we know that so many people in North Queensland need,” Ms Scanlon said.
“All the LNP have done so far is actually axe affordable housing projects, North Queenslanders don’t need a con job from the LNP, they need action and that is not what they are getting from David Crisafulli.”
Mr Soars, a former Townsville City councillor who plans to have electorate offices in both Ingham and the Northern Beaches if elected, said housing affordability alongside cost-of-living was the “No. 1 item” that had been raised by locals during the campaign.
Mr Soars is one of seven candidates contesting the seat vacated by Nick Dametto.
Mr O’Connor said Labor failed to deliver the homes this region needed over “their decade of decline”, saying that the opposition party ignored the regions while the housing crisis worsened.
He said Labor only delivered an average of 509 social homes a year during their three terms in office with the Crisafulli Government set to deliver more than 2000 social and community homes a year by the end of our first term.
“We’ve got 218 social and affordable homes already under contract or construction across North Queensland and through our Regional Activation Fund in Townsville we’re unlocking land for 1600 new flood-resilient homes to deliver the housing supply locals are crying out for.”
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Originally published as Hinchinbrook by-election: Labor says housing affordability suffers under LNP
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