Hon. MAJ SCANLON (Gaven—ALP) (Minister for Housing) (10.09 am): It has been one year since the Housing Summit when we brought together more than 200 experts and stakeholders to find new ways to tackle what is a national demand for housing. It was a chance for everyone to put aside their differences to get the job done. We have taken action on a number of fronts to help Queenslanders who are doing it tough.
The Palaszczuk government has already delivered more than 4,000 new homes and by 2027 we will have commenced 10,000 more. We have established our QBuild hub at Eagle Farm to build prefabricated homes, with another centre earmarked for Cairns. We have bought or leased four former retirement villages in Clayfield, Toowoomba, Redland Bay and Rothwell along with a 23-room hotel at Hamilton specifically for young people. We have boosted the Housing Investment Fund to $2 billion to support 5,600 social and affordable homes. We have conducted an audit of state land with more than 400 sites identified, some already in the market such as Northshore in Hamilton and Lumina in Southport. However, we have not stopped there.
We have expanded the Catalyst Infrastructure Fund to further unlock development. We have sped up approvals for emergency housing in disaster affected communities. We have implemented planning changes to allow renting of secondary dwellings such as granny flats. We have funded a $70 million build-to-rent pilot, with three projects contracted to deliver more than 1,200 homes and brought in tax concessions to incentivise even more developments.
We have established a housing opportunities portal for Queenslanders. We have worked with local governments to deliver local housing strategies and action plans. We have implemented planning changes that will streamline approvals for new housing projects, particularly social and affordable housing projects. We have assisted more than 45,400 people through specialist homelessness services. We have arranged more than 145,000 nights of temporary accommodation through our $54 million immediate housing response package. We have assisted more than 20,000 households in sustaining their private tenancies with our private rental assistance products and services, and so much more.
Of the outcomes agreed at the Housing Summit, the Palaszczuk government has completed 24, with the rest underway. Last week I announced plans for the government to step up and buy more homes being phased out of the National Rental Affordability Scheme, which was scrapped by the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison federal LNP government. Already we have purchased up to 456 of those homes and every home we buy will shore up affordable and social housing for Queenslanders who need that support now. This government knows that there is more to the job than just empty promises and cheap slogans; it means taking action and that is exactly what we are doing.
