Hon. MAJ SCANLON (Gaven—ALP) (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works) (9.55 am): This week has shown that it is only a Miles Labor government that can be trusted to do what matters for Queensland. Ours is a government with its own ideas, fully costed in our plan, Homes for Queenslanders, to build more homes faster with a target of one million homes— page 11 of our Homes for Queenslanders plan; and a plan to help first home owners break into the market—page 21. I table a copy of our Homes for Queenslanders plan because it is evident to me that some members of this House perhaps have not read it in detail and some have, in fact, copied it. Tabled paper: Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works: Homes for Queenslanders-More homes, faster: Building a better future [1078].
We have a plan to support the one-third of Queenslanders who rent—page 17; a plan to boost our social housing Big Build with 53,500 additional homes—page 25, for the benefit of those opposite; and a plan to work towards ending homelessness—page 31. We are delivering. In the last seven days, in fact, we have slashed stamp duty for first home buyers.
Mr O’Connor interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: The member for Bonney is warned under the standing orders.
Ms SCANLON: I take the interjection of the member for Bonney about a shared equity scheme because, of course, we could have 8,000 homes funded by the Commonwealth if the member for Bonney would only pick up the phone and call all of the Gold Coast LNP MPs and Peter Dutton, but he refuses to do so. In the last seven days we have slashed stamp duty for first home buyers. We have opened up applications for our $350 million Incentivising Infill Development Fund to build more homes in well located places.
Mrs Frecklington interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: The member for Nanango is warned under the standing orders.
Ms SCANLON: That is at page 13. We have locked in a record budget for housing and homeless, which is a plan described by the Queensland Council of Social Service as ‘nation leading’. We became the first state in the country to legislate the national shared equity scheme Help to Buy—page 22.
Opposition members interjected.
Mr Mander: Big deal!
Mr SPEAKER: Order, members to my right! Member for Everton, you are warned under the standing orders. Members, I need to hear the speaker who is on her feet.
Ms SCANLON: I take the interjection of the member for Everton. I think that comment is pretty disrespectful to the home owners who want access to those 8,000 places.
Ms Fentiman: It is a big deal to them!
Ms SCANLON: It is a big deal to them. It might not be to the member for Everton but it is a big deal to them. Honourable members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition and Premier. The interjections will cease.
Ms SCANLON: Shared equity is a good idea. It is a Labor idea that will help not only 1,000 people; it will help 8,000 Queenslanders to buy their own home. In addition, on top of the $440 million in funding for infrastructure partnerships with councils through our Works for Queensland and South East Queensland Community Stimulus Program, which we announced last month, this week we released another round of our $115 million Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program and our $61.6 million fund for First Nations councils. I admit that some of these items are not listed line by line in the Homes for Queenslanders plan because we are doing so much that it was difficult to include every single line item in the document, but I am happy to show the members opposite the budget papers that show all of our investment in infrastructure partnerships with councils. We are also updating our—
Honourable members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Mr Langbroek: Too busy doorknocking.
Ms SCANLON: I take the member for Surfers Paradise’s interjection. Yes, I do go out and doorknock and speak to the community. I doubt the member for Surfers Paradise does. Honourable members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Fentiman interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Member for Waterford.
Ms SCANLON: We are also updating regional plans and helping councils update their planning schemes, with millions of dollars available. That is on page 13. We are keeping everyone accountable with our implementation taskforce, our growth monitoring team, page 12, and one ministerial portfolio for housing, planning, local government and public works. Like on page 28 of our plan, we will also continue to work with community housing providers and faith-based organisations to unleash their potential. In fact, we are working on projects with Anglicare, Mission Australia, Churches of Christ, Vinnies, the Salvation Army—I do not have enough time this morning to name them all because there are so many.
We know that to build more homes for Queenslanders we need to have a fully funded and costed plan that pulls all levers. It is clear that only the Miles Labor government can be trusted to do what matters for Queensland.
