The Member for Burnett has slammed the Palaszczuk Government for failing to deliver on key promises from its signature Housing Summit.
Burnett MP Stephen Bennett said it’s been 12 months since the Premier’s Housing Summit but each passing week sees more people forced into homelessness around the Bundaberg region.
“It’s only since Labor blew into Bundaberg in 2020 that we’ve seen dozens of families forced to live in tents and makeshift shelters under the Tallon Bridge,” said Mr Bennett.
“The Palaszczuk Government’s big glossy announcements are clearly not delivering results.
“Instead of delivering tangible solutions to get Queenslanders into homes, Labor has only delivered failed announcements and false hope.
“In the Bundaberg region, the average time for applications on the housing register is 23.7 months! *
“That’s almost two years people must wait before they get a roof over their head.
“Over 1200 people in the Bundaberg Local Government area have pending applications. **
“Vulnerable Queenslanders are still paying the price for the chaos and crisis that has consumed the Palaszczuk Labor Government.”
The failed promises include:
LABOR’S HOUSING ANNOUNCEMENT
At the first roundtable, the Premier announced that there were 90 parcels of land made available by the Catholic Church.
RESULT: FAILED TO DELIVER
Labor has not revealed how many parcels of land have had construction start so Queenslanders can have a home.
LABOR’S HOUSING ANNOUNCMENT
At the Housing Summit, the Housing Investment Fund, first announced two years ago, was “doubled” in size.
RESULT: FAILED TO DELIVER
The fund has not built a single home.
LABOR’S HOUSING ANNOUNCEMENT
At the Housing Summit, the Premier announced that the Department of Housing would work with Australian War Widows to use properties offered by the organisation for housing vulnerable Queenslanders.
RESULT: FAILED TO DELIVER
Labor failed to reveal how many of those properties are now housing Queenslanders.
LABOR’S HOUSING ANNOUNCEMENT
In January, the Palaszczuk Government said it has the state’s largest concentrated investment in social housing.
RESULT: FAILED TO DELIVER
Yet, for the second year running a Productivity Commission report revealed the Palaszczuk Government had actually spent the least on social housing per capita compared to any other state or territory.
RESULT: FAILED TO DELIVER
The same productivity commission report found that the Palaszczuk Government had overseen a reduction in the number of Community Housing dwellings. Queensland was the only state or territory where this occurred.
RESULT: FAILED TO DELIVER
Further to this, State-owned indigenous housing numbers have also fallen since 2018, as well as Indigenous Community Housing. That is despite the government gloating about over $1.6b investment over the same period.
The LNP has announced a bold plan to ease the Queensland Housing Crisis.
If elected to Government in October 2024, an LNP government will:
- The LNP will have an ambitious and visionary 10-year target to ensure by 2034 Queensland will have the highest percentage of people owning their own home of all the states in the country.
- The LNP will appoint the nation’s first Minister for Home Ownership.
- The LNP will build a new pathway for first homebuyers focusing on three key areas: tax relief, incentives, and land supply.
* Source: https://www.qcoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Social-Housing-Register-Evidence-Brief_2023.pdf
** Source: https://www.qcoss.org.au/data/queensland-social-housing-register/
ENDS.
24/10/2023