Qld budget to focus on regional housing

The Queensland government has revealed plans to enhance the Household Resilience Program, aimed at providing stronger and more affordable housing for low-income home owners residing in cyclone-prone coastal communities in Queensland.

The announcement came ahead of the state budget, scheduled to be unveiled on 13 June.

In a joint statement, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Deputy Premier Steven Miles, and Minister for Energy Mick De Brenni announced that the program will be extended by up to three years, due to a boost of $20 million from the federal government.

The funding boost is expected to benefit approximately 1,100 more homes and facilitate resilience measures and builds on the existing $50 million investment made by the Palaszczuk government in the program, with the goal of reducing insurance premiums by strengthening properties against natural disasters.

Federal Minister Murray Watt said: “Reports show Australia spends far more on disaster recovery than it does on preparing for disasters, and that mindset needs to change.

“By making homes more resilient, we can help to reduce the impacts of future disasters, while bringing down insurance costs in the meantime.”

The Household Resilience Program covers a range of eligible works, including roof, garage door, and house frame upgrades or replacements, roof structural strengthening using external over-batten tie-downs, and window protection measures such as cyclone shutters or screens.

The Queensland government is urging low-income home owners residing within 50 kilometres of the coast, from Bundaberg North to the Northern Territory border, and owning houses built before 1984 to apply for the program while it remains available.

Premier Palaszczuk highlighted Queensland’s vulnerability to natural disasters, stating, “Queensland is affected by more natural disasters than anywhere else in Australia — in fact, we’ve been impacted by over 100 major events since 2011, causing more than $22 billion in damage.

“Many of the 4,311 low-income households we’ve already helped through the first three phases of our Household Resilience Program are aged over 55 — in fact a third are aged over 65 — and up to 10 per cent of all applicants are uninsured.”

The program has already achieved success in reducing insurance premiums, with recent data showing an average reduction of 10.3 per cent for home owners who completed approved works on their properties.

Housing in focus

The Queensland government remains committed to collaborating with local councils and industry stakeholders to plan and deliver housing where it is most needed, aiming to create livable communities for its residents.

The state has already committed nearly $4 billion in social and affordable housing, encompassing new initiatives and actions in the private, social, and affordable housing sectors.

The government plans to increase the supply of 5,600 new social and affordable homes by 30 June 2027.

Additionally, an extra $1 billion has been allocated to the Housing Investment Fund, doubling its current value to $2 billion.

Net-zero economy

Furthermore, the government intends to allocate $45 million over the next three years to unlock industrial land in Mackay and Gladstone.

This move aims to attract investment in emerging industries such as renewable energy, biofuels, and sustainable aviation fuel.

The Regional Industrial Land Improvement Program (RILIP) will facilitate the development of trunk infrastructure and strategic land in Mackay and Gladstone.

Deputy Premier Miles expressed the government’s desire to support industries crucial to the global transition to a net-zero economy, as they play a significant role in job creation in regions like Mackay.

[Related:Qld state government welcomes new housing minister]