Qld housing supply boost welcomed by REIQ

Responding to the Queensland Housing Summit Outcomes Report, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) said that there is still work to be done in order to address housing supply issues, despite welcoming the immediate support to sustain tenancies.

The Queensland government has short-listed seven sites that could potentially be used for housing in the South-East of the state. Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Steven Miles, said that work had begun on an audit of state government-owned land and buildings to locate housing opportunities.

The Deputy Premier stated that “hundreds of potential sites have been reviewed” and that this was just one of the key outcomes of the Housing Summit.

The Queensland Housing Summit Outcomes Report’s major initiatives for the State Development Department include:

• Creating a specialist cross-government Housing Delivery Board that will set goals and produce results
• Expanding the role of the state government’s land-use planning and property development agency, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ)
• Preparing for a housing stock boost after the Olympics, taking advantage of Olympic village infrastructure

REIQ chief executive, Antonia Mercorella, said the timely financial housing support should come as “a welcome relief to the Queensland community” prior to Christmas.

“The $48.5 million towards housing support, including tenancy sustainment, loans and grants, will benefit the most vulnerable in our community by helping to keep a roof over their head and reducing cost-of-living pressures over Christmas,” Ms Mercorella said.

However, Ms Mercorella stated that she was disappointed that “some of the key ideas and recommendations at the Summit had not made it into the report”.

“At the Summit, we all spoke to the importance of different levels of government and the private sector working together and this is a chance for the State Government to meaningfully lead this and put this collaborative approach into action,” Ms Mercorella concluded.

“We appreciate that the Community Engagement and Awareness Campaign is a crucial step to ensure the community is on board with the change in housing diversity that needs to happen to support our growing community.

“The REIQ will also continue to advocate for initiatives that make downsizing a much easier financial decision for older Queenslanders, to significantly free up much-needed housing stock, and our view is more can be done at all levels to achieve this, and is a missed opportunity in this report.”

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