People the focus of new housing strategy

The Queensland Government is reaching out to the whole community to help develop a new flagship housing strategy to replace the directions set by the former government.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni said the new strategy would take a broader perspective on housing; building on the recent Fairness Review and this government’s commitment to improve the delivery of frontline services.

“Today, we released a discussion paper to start the conversation about how can we better meet the housing needs of Queenslanders, today and into the future,” Mr de Brenni said.

“For me, this strategy is about making a real difference to the lives of Queenslanders and looking at the entire housing continuum.

“It’s not just about homelessness, social housing and other support services. This is about how people participate in their community and contribute to the economy, raise and care for family, and meet their other needs. Housing is central to making all of that happen.

“The engagement on this discussion paper is a large undertaking – one which is much broader than those done for previous housing strategies.

“Whether you’re a home owner, private renter, social or public housing tenant, investor, builder, financier or real estate agent, we want to hear from you.

“This is about coming up with innovative ideas to address real issues and solve real problems. It’s also about getting the basics right, so that the housing opportunities we enjoy today are available to the next generations.

“We need to find ways to keep the cost of housing down and reduce other housing related living expenses, like energy and transport.

“This means looking at how housing is designed and delivered and having a conversation with industry, local government and the finance sector about how we can do better.

“To do this, we need the perspectives from all Queenslanders so that we have a balanced, informed view on the issues.

“Visit the government’s Get Involved website, and search for the ‘Working together for better housing and sustainable communities’ discussion paper to have your say.”

Minister de Brenni said the discussion paper sets out the current housing situation for Queenslanders and reflects the community’s changing housing needs.

“Over time, many things have changed, including housing needs in the community, the way our housing markets operate, house designs and the choice of housing types, and how we live and work,” he said.

“If we are going to ensure that housing across the community is affordable we need to get a lot more creative and collaborative.

“I’ve already heard from many community members, tenants, government staff and industry representatives on the issues and the solutions.

“This discussion paper is about bringing this spread of ideas together to create an effective strategy that makes a real difference.”

The discussion paper has been released on the Queensland Government’s Get Involved website: www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au.

Online responses are open until 20 May 2016.

ENDS

Media contact: 0447 164 197