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The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has stressed that whatever the makeup of the next Queensland government, it must be prepared to take a hard stance on housing.
In fact, HIA’s Queensland director, Michael Roberts, has suggested a stock phrase for the next ruling party – which will be decided on 26 October – to use in response to opposition to development proposals: “Sorry, but we need to build more homes.”
“This must be the only response from the government elected on 26 October to any organisation, group or individual who gets in the way of building the homes that Queensland needs.”
Speaking on the obstacles to home building, Roberts stressed that “when any individual, group, union or recalcitrant or revenue-seeking council obstructs housing development, the outcome is more people living in tents in our parks”.
He also stated that the “not-in-my-backyard” (NIMBY) movement in particular “must not be indulged any longer”, and emphasised that productivity would need to be ramped up in order to meet the state’s housing targets.
With Queensland’s home building headed towards a yearly shortfall, Roberts said that he believes the housing crisis has reached a point where “more Queenslanders understood that housing development was required in all forms and in every viable direction”.
“For industry to deliver the homes we need, all cylinders have to be firing. We need more detached homes, more multiresidential in duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, terraces and small unit blocks, and we need more unit towers to go as well,” he said.
To tackle the challenges obstructing housing applications, Roberts said that the Queensland government must “involve itself quickly to overcome hurdles” and help to make housing projects “more viable” to get them moving.
This pressure from the HIA follows the earlier release of an election policy paper from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ), in which the institute similarly called on both sides of the political aisle to adopt housing policies, such as a home ownership target of over 70 per cent by 2032.
REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella stated that particular attention should be given to first home buyers struggling with meeting Queensland’s 20 per cent deposit target, and proposed that the state government should either expand and relax eligibility for loan schemes or act as a guarantor for first home buyers.
The CEO also emphasised the need for greater action around stamp duty, calling for concessions to be extended to first home buyers and downsizers, and for the First Home Owner Grant to be made applicable for use on established regional housing and for renovations on currently unlivable properties.
“Our policies are designed to enable home ownership and ease rental pressures while maintaining Queensland’s reputation as a place for property investment,” Mercorella said.
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