Hon. MAJ SCANLON (Gaven—ALP) (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works) (9.47 am): Every Queenslander deserves a place to call home. For women in particular affordable housing provides safety and economic security. However, research by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute lays bare the problem being faced by women right across the country—older women and women fleeing violence are more vulnerable to homelessness. We know that 66.5 per cent of social housing tenants in Queensland are women. That is why, as part of our Homes for Queenslanders plan, we are boosting funding for homelessness services and we are taking our record investment in social housing even further.
Our government’s housing plan sets an ambitious target of another 53,500 social homes by 2046. That is more than double the number of applicants currently on the housing register. We will ramp up public and community housing delivery in Queensland to more than 2,000 homes on average per year. Queensland is only one of two states in the country to have increased both public and community housing in the last decade, but it is clear that we need to continue to do more to help people like Debbie, who has been the proud tenant of a social home for more than 30 years.
I joined her and the member for Ipswich recently in Ipswich West, where we are building 13 new one-bedroom homes. Having a safe place to call home has given her the opportunity to pursue her career as an artist and be an advocate for people with a disability. Our Homes for Queenslanders plan is the first time any state in Australia has outlined its social housing program based on modelling and evidence. The target was guided by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute’s work which incorporates historical and predictive analysis, including population growth, as well as social and economic factors. The homes will build on the more than 5,000 already delivered by our government since 2015 and the 75,000 public and community homes currently in Queensland.
This will be the most ambitious social housing program in Australian history and is something the sector has welcomed, including organisations like the Queensland Council of Social Services and Q Shelter. The managing director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Dr Michael Fotheringham, said— The Miles Government’s commitment to addressing housing challenges is commendable. The genuine ambition shown in Homes for Queenslanders and the work done over recent months brings a new level of sophistication to housing policy. The coordination and cooperation across Queensland government agencies is remarkable. Only Labor governments build the social housing homes that Queenslanders need and will deliver the investment and policies that keep women safe.
