Fourth housing meeting called as Palaszczuk discredits negative polls

Queensland will host a fourth meeting addressing the housing sector within a year, before work is done for national cabinet on strengthening renters’ rights and amid debate about fixes for cost-of-living pressure.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters she would hold the gathering with her Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon so “all stakeholders can be updated ... and give us their input”, as new polling placed housing second among state voters’ top issues.

Annastacia Palaszczuk went on to dismiss new polling as the work of “LNP operatives”, saying election day – still some 16 months away – was the only poll that mattered.Credit: Matt Dennien

The state government held an “urgent” roundtable meeting in September and a summit the following month before a further roundtable in March, as interest rates climbed and rentals hit record costs and scarcity.

Domain’s June 2023 Rental Report, released on Thursday, again detailed record high median prices for Brisbane after a further acceleration of house rents as units recorded the fastest annual rise in the city’s history.

While the government, opposition, property sector and some economists have singled out new housing supply as the key fix, other economists, the Greens, academics and tenant advocates have said more needs to be done in the shorter-term for the nearly 36 per cent of the state who rent.

“We’re doing everything we can to obviously help renters right now with reforms that protect their rights, but also get the balance right,” Scanlon said alongside Palaszczuk as they announced the $5.3 million purchase of a 23-room Brisbane hotel for emergency housing.

Despite a souring of her popularity, Palaszczuk went on to dismiss new polling as the work of “LNP operatives” and said she remained the best person to lead the state Labor team she has helmed for more than 11 years to contest its third election from government in October next year.

The poll, conducted for the Australian Financial Review by Freshwater Strategy, shows two-party preferred support for Labor slipped to 48 per cent, leaving the LNP with 52 per cent, on a 3.5 per cent margin of error.

The survey of 1065 Queensland voters last week found Palaszczuk below David Crisafulli as preferred premier – 44 per cent to 45 per cent, with 7 per cent saying neither and 4 per cent unsure – and saw the LNP with a primary vote of 40 per cent to Labor’s 34 per cent.

A total of 11 per cent preferred the Greens, and 15 per cent opted for another party or independent. Five per cent were undecided. The findings echoed trends this year across polling also conducted for News Corp and Brisbane Times.

Cost-of-living (66 per cent), housing, (55 per cent), crime and social order (54 per cent), and health and social care (29 per cent) ranked as the top issues for voters, more of whom believed the LNP would be best at addressing them, the results showed.

While Palaszczuk retained her party support as leader, any challenge was unlikely and made even more so by strict Labor rules.

She declared last year she would face voters at least once more at the October 2024 election – though this has failed to stem speculation she may step down before then.