Having spoken about our housing issues since I was a Noosa Councillor nearly a decade ago, the lack of foresight and action has been astounding. Observing the blame being laid at various contributors including immigration numbers, we need to acknowledge that it’s a combination of many factors that has led to a crisis that was preventable, with the ‘blame game’ divisive and unproductive.
50 years ago, for reasons we have not been able to ascertain, governments stopped investing in social housing, with percentages falling as population increased. In 1974 the Chair of the South Australian Housing Trust said, “it’s 30 years since a national government even tried to assess our housing stock or our needs.” So, we are talking 80 years of failings.
In addition, Australians for decades have been commercialising homes, knowingly or unknowingly, by purchasing them as investments to fund retirements, as a ‘reno’ to climb the property ladder or in ‘hot spots’ like Noosa, for ‘Short Term Lets’. Add in the inability of our retirees to downsize due to Queensland’s punitive transfer duties, and concessions such as negative gearing that provide incentives to invest in property over other assets (2.2 million taxpayers in 2020/21 reported income or costs associated with owning a rental property). The ingredients for a crisis were all there.
The reluctance of governments of all levels over the last decades to provide, or make possible and feasible, affordable options has been unbelievable. This includes transportable parks for our over 55’s such as we have at Ingenia (formerly Bougainvillea) and Noosa Glades in Tewantin, as well boarding houses which was once the norm for singles and young married couples in their journey to home ownership.
Post-COVID materials inflation, labour and application processes which now encompass a plethora of regulations and development application processes and conditions, have taken their toll. The Reserve Bank also quipped that sustained low interest rates for most of the 21st century has led to a sharp rise in house prices. This literally was adding fuel to the fire.
The latest ABS data has the Australian population growing by nearly 450,000 in 2024 (1.7 percent). This was made up of a natural increase of 105,200 (292,400 births less 187,300 deaths), and net overseas migration of 340,800 (594,900 arrivals minus 254,200 departures). Of that in 2023/24 207,000 were temporary students leaving a net increase of 146,800 permanent migrants. Queensland’s 2024 population growth was above average at 1.9 percent compared to the Australian of 1.7 percent which the Queensland Statistician’s owe to 20 percent natural increase, 25 percent interstate migration and 55 percent overseas migration. We know many of our Noosa businesses and services have only been able to continue operating with staff brought in on programs from overseas, including our aged care homes.
So, what does all this really mean? We have an aging population and declining birthrate, and a need for workers to service our communities and pay taxes to fund our desire to have better roads, medical, education and all else, which from the analytics can only be achieved by this increase as we are a big country with relatively small population to its size.
Regardless of the decisions by governments, our ongoing urgent need for genuinely affordable housing must prioritise our existing vulnerable and low-income workers, hence the vital role that social and community housing plays. I am loathe to say it, however when I raised this housing crisis 8 years ago and told “it was because Noosa will not cut down trees” I must say it. For 50 years governments have been given a ‘heads up’ yet have ignored the voices on the ground. So, are they really listening now?
The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council have reported that in 2024 we built 177,000 dwellings, falling short of the estimated 223,000 needed when considering immigration numbers. With the Queensland Productivity Commission finding that our construction industry productivity is going backwards, how does that translate to delivering what is predicted for Southeast QLD, and importantly the expected 600,000 to the south of Noosa?
With Queensland’s government housing waitlist recently increasing to 53,874 and an unknown volume not eligible for the waitlist as they earn more than the current $40,000 per annum maximum and don’t have complex needs as part of the eligibility test, the promised state government builds of 53,500 new social and community homes by 2044 is totally insufficient.
With a very outdated income threshold for government housing subsidisation finally being reviewed, given it is 20 years out of date, we could see potentially many more thousands come into eligibility. This is an especially important piece of analysis, as well for the reintroduction of an affordable/community housing waitlist as incredibly, this data has not been captured.
Amongst all of this is new police powers that could see perpetrators of domestic violence banned from accessing their home for up to 12 months, further increasing demand for accommodation or lodgings in the coming months.
In all of the debates, reports and responses on housing I have not heard a simple explanation on how these shortfalls and growing demand can or will be resolved. Is it to reduce immigration to population replacement levels, go into the predicted recession as a result and reduce our expectations on what can be delivered by governments on the funds they have? Or is it to build more and faster, bypassing the protections put in place including environmental and building safety standards, reverting back to a time where considerations were ‘simpler’ though may not meet our expectations?
As our community heads into its own options for social and affordable housing, opposition could see these projects not proceed. After seven years researching government sites, endless roundtables and many disappointments along the way, we are at our ‘moment of truth’.
Online commentary that has no comprehension of facts including the lengths this community has gone to in efforts to provide for our own has been disappointing. Examples? That government owned sites being utilised in areas such as Cooroy is to avoid putting social housing in the ‘expensive end of town’ is incorrect, as there are sites in Noosa Heads. That there are other suitable sites is also incorrect as if there were, they would have been identified and utilised. No care for tree removal? Incorrect, as sites deemed suitable do not have vegetation protections like the former TAFE site or such as Noosa Civic that already have offsets. That increased traffic or amenity impacts are being ignored? Also incorrect, as with every Development Application (DA), stringent conditions are applied to address these. Remember, Noosa is consistently criticised for being the toughest council to get a development approved? And finally, that you should not live here if you cannot afford to. How do we function when there is no one to staff our shops, look after our elderly and children, or clean, repair and garden?? The volume of workers we have already lost has not been calculated, and we struggle to find replacements as these workers cannot afford to travel 90 minutes each way, instead find work close to their new accommodations.
The other disappointing aspect is attacks on elected representatives who over the years have been criticised for the lack of action on affordable options and now are being criticised for supporting affordable options. No wonder we end up where nothing gets done!
The reality? If the projects in the pipeline across our electorate do not proceed, there are no further options as our land prices make it impossible for the private sector to deliver what we need for our working families and elders.
When community consultation commences on these, think how you can be part of the solution. If you are against, please volunteer your time or your home as many do, to assist our residents genuinely impacted by the failures of our governments for multiple decades. This will take a village, and part of that is to move beyond preconceived beliefs about those who need subsidised housing, misinformation and divisive commentary and ensure that the basic necessities of stability, mental and physical wellbeing are accessible to our residents.
With so much to share and limited space, stay ‘in the loop’ by heading to Noosa 360 at www.SandyBolton.com, where you can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter, which ensures you are notified of any Noosa-specific surveys or polls. In addition, follow ‘Sandy Bolton MP’ on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn! For any questions or assistance on state-related matters, do not hesitate to contact my office at 53193100.
Until next month!
