Last month I hosted Shadow Treasurer, David Janetzki MP, on the Sunshine Coast who addressed the media stating that “The State Budget fails to address one of the biggest crises everyday people are facing at the moment, being unable to access rental properties and put a roof over their family’s head. This is an economic challenge as it’s stopping workers moving into the area. Together with the blowout in the social housing waitlist from 1,000 to 2,800 in the last 5 years there are significant issues facing the housing market.”
We were also joined by Mal Cayley of Direct Collective who is responsible for the ‘Sunshine Coast: The Future 2022’ Report of which I also tabled in Parliament. Mal’s report identifies a shortfall of 2,000 new homes a year on the Sunshine Coast – Mal says we need 3,000 new homes every year, but only about 1,000 are coming to market. The Sunshine Coast has been undersupplied for a number of years.
Something is broken in the housing sector when supply is so short and this is driving homelessness and stress. We can have good town planning that respects the environment and local amenity but still supports timely release of new and diverse housing stock. It’s time for leadership from the State Government to support timely decision making and delivery of the infrastructure that manages growth responsibly.
