Queensland is facing a jobs and homes crisis. Queensland has lost over 11,000 construction jobs in one month, dwelling approvals have fallen 18% and it’s only going to get worse. Meanwhile the waiting list for social housing has increased to 39,000 people. A recent report by the Australian Financial Review found that 33% of Queensland households were in housing stress, struggling to pay their rents or mortgages.
Labor currently plans to build on average 450 social homes a year - when the waiting list for social housing increases by 7000 people a year. Their plan has seen a blowout in the waiting list and will see a decrease in the state’s proportion of social housing from 3.7% to 3%.
Queenslanders need jobs and they need homes, so the Greens will make big banks and massive mining corporations pay their fair share to create 20,000 jobs a year building 100,000 public homes over four years.
The Greens will:
Tackle the housing crisis and create 20,248 good full time jobs a year by:
- Establishing a Queensland Housing Trust that will finance the construction of 100,000 public homes over the next four years and 250,000 homes over 10 years, with a long term target of 20% of all housing stock as public housing
- Seed funding the Queensland Housing Trust with $11 billion over 10 years, raised via a levy on the big banks and higher royalties on mining corporations
- Allocating homes to those currently on Queensland’s social housing waiting list, then make available to every Queenslander regardless of income
- Setting rent at 25% of income or market rent, whichever is lower
- Removing ongoing eligibility checks for all public housing and give tenants a lifetime right to their home once it’s allocated
- Establishing tenant and community design panels that will be given binding power to direct the design and architecture of the housing developments within certain parameters, including maximum 5 storey height limits
- Introducing democratic housing and tenancy management models
- Legislating to introduce inclusionary zoning in South East Queensland
- 20% of any new multi-dwelling development to be delivered as public housing stock
- To be phased in over 10 years, beginning at
- 10% and increasing by 5% increments every 5 years