2020 State Election Campaign
Support community liveability through affordable housing
WHAT WE SEEK:
a. A dedicated grant or expansion of the ‘First Home Owner’ grant for the purchase of existing housing stock to improve affordability, stimulate investment and attract and retain families and professionals in our rural and remote communities.
b. A dedicated program to support local governments in rural and remote areas to construct new homes to provide housing stock for on-sale or rental.
c. Continued support for The National Partnership on Remote Housing as a means to help ‘close the gap’ and improve the health, employment and education opportunities for our Indigenous communities.
“Stimulating investment through a revised ‘First Home Owner’ grant for existing housing stock will help create jobs by supporting local tradies and more broadly, local businesses that supply the construction industry. Importantly, it will also help sustain our regional and remote communities in the later phases of post COVID-19 recovery.”
HOW THIS WILL HELP THE NORTH WEST AND QUEENSLAND RECOVER:
With higher home loan deposits now required as a consequence of the “Banking” Royal Commission, particularly in rural and remote areas, many young people, families and professionals in North West Queensland are finding it difficult to access finance to construct their first house. As a consequence, these individuals look to purchase existing houses, yet are ineligible for any state government support unless their case involves ‘substantial’ renovations.*
If local government in rural and remote areas are supported to construct new homes to on-sell or rent they will be stimulating the local construction sector and able to negotiate deposit and repayment arrangements or tenancies with more flexibility and relevance to their local communities. This will assist young couples and singles to establish a home where the housing market is unable to meet their needs.
Both federal and state governments have indicated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people living in remote communities are at greater risk from COVID-19.
Despite this fact, evidence shows that the demand for new houses listed on the housing register, as well as the reported levels of overcrowding, significantly underestimate the housing need within Indigenous communities. Queensland will need at least 1,800 to 2,000 new homes to meet current demand.#
Under The National Partnership on Remote Housing, Indigenous councils have the opportunity to act as principle contractors, maximising the amount of government funding that stays within their communities through the employment of local building crews and through the use of local service providers.
Continued support for The National Partnership on Remote Housing will be important to address the housing shortage in Indigenous communities; create locally based jobs and skills development and protect our most vulnerable community members as part of COVID-19 recovery measures.
*A substantial renovation is when all, or most, of the structural or non-structural components of a building are removed or replaced. Most of the rooms in the building must have been affected, and the renovations must have affected the building as a whole for it to be considered a substantial renovation: www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/financial-help-concessions/qld-first-home-grant/renovated-houses-first-home
# Inquiry into service delivery in remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Local Government Association of Queensland (June 2017)