The member for Bundaberg is out of touch with her own government and more interested in propaganda than helping the region prosper, according to member for Burnett Stephen Bennett.
Mr Bennett said the Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Housing Strategy, tabled today, was nothing more than glossy spin that delivered funding cuts to capital housing for the region.
“The member for Bundaberg is busy spruiking that she has advocated to expand public housing to meet the shortfall of our region, yet her government’s own Housing Strategy document reveals that the entire region will be significantly short-changed,” Mr Bennett said.
“The Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Housing Strategy shows a measly $5 million will be allocated to our region per year over the next five years. How is that additional funding when that equates to just ten new homes across the entire Wide Bay region per year?
“Here she is telling the people of Bundaberg that she has been pushing for more social housing, yet we are actually going to be going backwards… Bundaberg is being completely ignored. It’s insulting.
“This just proves how out of touch the member for Bundaberg is with her own government. Either that or her own government doesn’t listen to her. She obviously has no influence and what help is that to the people living in her electorate?”
Mr Bennett said he was disappointed that the Palaszczuk government continued to short-change the region and ignore the domestic violence crisis.
“This measly funding won’t be able to keep up with social housing demand in the region and it is the women and children fleeing domestic violence and those struggling to afford basic living expenses that will suffer.”
FACTS:
The Queensland Housing Strategy 2017-2027 reveals the Wide Bay Burnett Capital Investment over five years is $25 million. That’s a total of about 50 homes across the entire Wide Bay Burnett.
That equates to $5 million per year which will build just ten new homes across the entire Wide Bay Burnett region.
The Queensland Housing Strategy 2017-2027 Regional Snapshot for Wide Bay Burnett can be found here: www.hpw.qld.gov.au/housingstrategy/Documents/RegionalFactSheetWideBayBurnett.pdf
Monday, 12 June 2017