$1.8 billion Housing Strategy to transform lives, create jobs and revitalise neighbourhoods

The Palaszczuk Government is investing $1.8 billion to build more than 5,000 extra homes, create thousands of building and construction jobs while providing more Queenslanders with a safe, secure and affordable place to call home.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new 10-year Queensland Housing Strategy would see Queensland take the lead in delivering social and affordable housing in Australia.

“Housing is fundamentally about people and our $1.8 billion investment puts people first,” she said.

“Secure housing enables young people to finish their education. It provides the stability that keeps families together. And it gives people the secure base they need to get and keep a job.

“This $1.8 billion investment is a launch pad for opportunity and aspiration.”

Ms Palaszczuk said that through the new 10-year Queensland Housing Strategy the Government will:

• build 4,522 new social homes and 1,034 affordable homes
• support 450 full-time construction jobs a year
• introduce inclusionary requirements for new dwellings on state land (5-25% for social and affordable)
• invest $20 million to construct new Youth Foyers in Townsville and on the Gold Coast and expand the existing Foyer in Logan
• commit $75 million to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander home ownership
• invest $30 million to reform the housing system
• create housing and homelessness hubs to improve service delivery
• strengthen consumer protections for retired people. 

Treasurer Curtis Pitt said that on top of the significant investment, the Queensland Housing Strategy heralded a new way of doing business.

“Our ten year construction program provides industry with a stable and predictable program of work so they can have certainty,” he said.

“This is about best practice procurement, working to match projects to appropriate partners, creating opportunities for small, medium and large businesses.

“Whether you are a small home builder or one of the state’s largest developers there is something in this construction package for you.

“And we aren’t wasting time, with a state-wide expression of interest for the first projects available on the Queensland Housing Strategy website from tomorrow.”

Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni said the Queensland Housing Strategy construction program was focussed on partnerships and creating local jobs.

“If the previous LNP Government had succeeded with their plan to give away 90% of housing in Queensland, this investment and this ten year strategy would not be possible,” he said. 

“Because we still own and manage Queensland’s public housing we have the ability to partner with the private sector, to leverage new private investment in affordable housing, on top of this significant investment.

“This strategy is about partnering with the private sector and community housing providers to create genuine affordable housing, something that hasn’t been done at scale in this country in decades.

“Government will use underutilised government land and this new funding to leverage new private and community sector investment in affordable housing.

“And this strategy is a big win for local builders and tradies in the residential sector across the state,” Mr de Brenni said.

“Because we have refused to privatise housing we are now able to target job opportunities to locally based builders.

“That means jobs for block layers in Townsville, sparkies in Rockhampton, carpenters in Toowoomba, and subbies and tradies up and down the coast.

Mr de Brenni said that the landmark construction process would be complemented by a comprehensive suite of reforms to improve housing outcomes.

The new Queensland Housing Strategy and links to the Expression of Interest can be found at qld.gov.au/housingstrategy