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Off the back of the Property Council’s 2022 paper ‘A home for every Queenslander’, the Queensland Government convened a housing summit to bring together government, industry and community sectors to address the state’s housing crisis.
Two years on from the summit and the number of homes being delivered in Queensland has hit its lowest level since 2013, with just 6,948 new homes built in the March Quarter of 2024.
As Queenslanders head to the polls, the Property Council of Australia’s Queensland Executive Director Jess Caire urged all candidates to commit to fast tracking the delivery of supply to market and committing to get more roofs over Queenslanders heads faster.
“Whoever forms government after the election faces an enormous challenge in ensuring a home for every Queenslander – a challenge that can only be overcome with meaningful policy change, and meaningful engagement with the private sector,” Ms Caire said.
“Since the summit, Queensland homes have been hit with two new tax hikes, bringing the total to 12 new or increased taxes on housing in less than a decade.
“These tax hikes have been coupled with a plethora of reform being thrown at our state’s housing sector, with more than 15 reforms since the summit, covering everything from rental policies to property law.
“No doubt, it has been well intended but the sheer volume has buried the industry in regulation and reforms, adding to costs and resulting in fewer homes being built.
“We cannot tinker around the edges with housing policy anymore; a newly elected government will have to move swiftly with a supply-side mindset by introducing bold policies needed to ensure a home for every Queenslander.
“This starts with understanding the role our state’s tax settings play in driving up costs and driving out investment. The only way that can occur is through an independent review of Queensland’s prohibitive tax regime that brings industry to the table when designing the terms of reference and giving the confidence it needs by committing to no new or increased taxes or charges on the property sector.
“Front and centre, we need to strip back the unnecessary regulatory layers pushed on the private sector by applying one simple test: Will the changes increase, or decrease, the supply of new homes?
“Delivering on the lofty ambition of one million new homes by 2046 requires government to strike the right balance and our research has shown that balance is lacking.
“Since 2016 Queensland has lost 33,000 homes as a result of our prohibitive and unrelenting tax regime, and we can’t continue down this road – Queenslanders need roofs over their heads,” she said.
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