Housing Strategy Consultation Report released

The Queensland Government has released a report outlining the outcomes of its extended public consultation ahead of the development of a 10-year state housing strategy.

The Housing Strategy Consultation Report stops short of outlining the Government’s policy intent, but does provide greater clarity around the areas that will be considered in the final strategy.

One of the consultation’s findings has been a clear community desire for reform of the legislation governing Retirement Villages, and Manufactured Home Parks – a longstanding position of the Property Council.

The Property Council is actively engaged with the Government to ensure an industry perspective is provided to policy makers developing the new strategy. The Property Council’s submission to the consultation process outlines opportunities for the State Government to utilise their policy levers to enable the private sector to produce solutions to Queensland’s housing challenges.

While land supply must be the fundamental consideration in the Government’s response to the issue of housing affordability, the Property Council’s submission provides a range of policy proposals for the Government to consider including measures to increase the supply of age-appropriate housing and the removal of State property taxes.

A number of the policy initiatives canvassed in the housing strategy consultation, including liveable housing design, have now formed part of the Government’s ongoing Queensland Building Plan consultation.

The Government has committed to release the final Housing Strategy in early 2017. It is understood that the key reform initiatives will be outlined by Minister de Brenni in March.