Hon. MAJ SCANLON (Gaven—ALP) (Minister for Housing) (10.10 am): Queensland is very proud to have increased both public and community housing. We have built thousands and thousands of homes, and through our big social housing build we have thousands more on the way. Between the July and September quarter, I am pleased to update the House that we found a social home for 848 households, and last week we welcomed some more Queenslanders to their new home. I joined the Attorney-General in Redcliffe, where 18 new places have been completed in partnership with Bric Housing—unleashing the community housing sector to help older Queenslanders downsize, with the added benefit of freeing up larger homes for families. These are Queenslanders like Rose, who was excited to move from her three-bedroom house in Kallangur, where she had been living by herself, to downsize to a more modern, accessible place, and people like Ron, who had been forced to move several times over the past three years after the former federal LNP government ended the National Rental Affordability Scheme. The retired industrial engineer said— This new unit means a heck of a lot to me. It’s a big relief. I’m close to the hospital, public transport, and I don’t have to worry about moving again. I’ve got a lot of friends around the area and I’m also close to the places where I sing and play guitar for charity. We had the privilege of hearing from him when we visited.
It is not just our Big Build that we are getting on with; we are also buying more places to help those who need more immediate support and accommodation. Last week I joined the education minister to announce that we have bought the 84-room Park Hotel in Spring Hill to give some of the most vulnerable Queenslanders a safe place to stay. By purchasing this hotel, we will be able to provide rooms and essential wraparound services for the long term. We do not have to keep going back to the owners each time to renew the lease and it means we can spend money refurbishing rooms and communal spaces to give residents the dignity and respect they deserve.
We also announced a $23 million boost to support families. Already our Immediate Housing Response for Families fund has helped pay for 160,000 nights of accommodation. That is 7,680 households that have been helped through this funding. I was very pleased to join the education minister to boost this funding to make sure those services can help more families to ensure they have a roof over their head. Building and buying homes and accommodation is more than just about providing a roof over someone’s head; it is about giving people a safe place to stay and making sure they get the support they need. It is only Labor governments that know the value of that and it is only Labor governments that are delivering.
