Six years after land for social housing was purchased in Tewantin, the project is expected to be completed in two years after the state government recently committed to construction funding and the release of a tender for construction by the end of the year.
Noosa MP Sandy Bolton said her advocacy for Noosa’s housing needs since being elected in 2017 has included ensuring the progress of the Doonella Street social housing project, which would see 32 new social and affordable units in our electorate.
“This will allow social housing residents to downsize their tenancies to a wonderful location near shops, services and the river, as well take advantage of the government’s incentives of removal costs and make available the resulting thirty-plus family-sized homes to our low-income worker families,” she said.
“This is about us all working together for the benefit of our community, and I thank the Minister for Housing, Sam O’Connor MP, for committing to the construction funding after what has been a very slow process since government purchased the site in 2019.”
In Parliament last week in response to Ms Bolton’s Question without Notice, the minister thanked her for her advocacy, saying government was getting this project underway with a tender out for construction by the end of this year, the contract to be awarded early next year, with the project forecast for completion by the middle of 2027.
“This is appreciated as this project is one that aligns with the Noosa Plan and which meets community expectations,” Ms Bolton said.
With the Queensland Government announcing downsizing incentives of removal costs and some rent-free periods, she said it was important for solo residents in family-sized government tenancies who were happy to help our housing situation by downsizing, to get in contact with the Department of Housing to discuss their situation and these incentives.
For the past two years Ms Bolton has advocated for a review of social housing eligibility income thresholds that have not changed since 2006.
She said the new government has responded with the department testing several methodologies for applicability in Queensland and conducting consultation with stakeholders before finalising any changes.
Ms Bolton said the review should be completed before any residents are required to find alternative housing and she has requested, of the minister, for any of the relevant family sized homes to be transferred for management by community housing providers, and not constrained by that outdated threshold.
“It makes no sense that with the cost of living and inflation that this review is not finalised before the announced annual rent and eligibility checks start for all social housing tenants from the 1st of July,” she said.
“We do not want any of our community impacted by outdated criteria, hence the importance of transfer of the management of government owned homes to community housing providers is imperative to offset the impacts from eligibility checks before these findings which no doubt will see the threshold raised.”
For more updates visit www.SandyBolton.com/Noosa360 or subscribe to Ms Bolton’s monthly newsletter via www.SandyBolton.com/Newsletters.
