Social housing flatlines
THE Gold Coast’s social housing stocks have barely moved in the past five years, placing additional pressure on the city’s homeless and rental crisis, the state opposition says.
Only 173 social housing bedrooms have been built in the Gold Coast catchment since 2017.
Opposition housing spokesman Tim Mander said the social housing bedroom data was “an accurate KPI” on what the government was providing, drilling down to the number of people in need rather than properties.
“It tells you about the capacity of the system to take
you in. It’s the best indicator of how much additional housing is provided,” he said.
Under government guidelines, families seeking affordable, public or low-cost accommodation must determine the number of bedrooms they are entitled to or need.
The data shows the city’s social housing had increased only 2.12 per cent from 8178 bedrooms in 2017 to 8351 in 2021.
By comparison other regional and rural areas like Gladstone (up 11.39 per cent), Isaac (59.18 per cent), North Burnett (31.06 per cent) and Barcoo (55.56 per cent) had experienced massive spikes.
Mr Mander said the state’s social housing crisis falls firmly at the feet of the government.
“Our most vulnerable Queenslanders are being horribly let down,” he said.
“Halfway through the nearly $2bn, 10-year Queensland Housing Strategy, only 1190 additional bedrooms have been built.
“Social housing stock has flatlined in Queensland despite an eye-watering increase in demand.”
Across the same five-year period Queensland’s social housing waiting list has increased by 70 per cent from 29,000 to 50,000.
“You can’t trust this government to put a roof over your head when you really need one,” Mr Mander said.
The Bulletin has put the spotlight on the city’s housing crisis with several reports highlighting how the homeless were living.
The downside of the city’s property boom was up to 4000 people are without homes, many of them due to high rental costs.
Council data shows 63,500 households on the Coast have very low or low incomes – under $65,000.
Almost 15 per cent of all households are in housing stress, and the supply of crisis, supported and affordable housing is not meeting demand.
Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon this month exposed what she called the federal government’s failure to address the crisis.
She accused the Commonwealth of walking away from a vital housing subsidy that would hurt almost 1200 struggling Coast homes.
The Environment Minister has launched a petition calling for an end to planned cuts to the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
That data shows it will affect 422 households in Coomera, 283 in Southport and 158 around Oxenford. Labrador has about 99 homes, and there are 67 in the Nerang area. Currumbin, Surfers Paradise and Burleigh reported much smaller numbers.
The federal government argued the scheme was “plagued with administrative issues” and “expensive, unfair and poorly targeted” with a warning that “governments should think twice about doing NRAS again”.