2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

 3)     Deliver a diverse, affordable and comprehensive range of housing options in accessible and
        well serviced locations through:
         o appropriate, responsive and proactive zoning
         o supporting an appropriate mix of lot sizes and dwelling types, including housing for
           seniors and people requiring assisted living
         o considering incentives for the delivery of affordable and social housing, particularly in
           areas in close proximity to services and amenities.
 (4) Best practice, innovative, and adaptable housing design and siting is provided for and
     encouraged.
 (5) Sufficient zoned land for housing is provided in appropriate locations to support the
     projected non-resident workforce population associated with approved large-scale mining,
     agriculture, industry or infrastructure projects.


2.3.3    Queensland Housing Strategy, Discussion Paper (2016)
The Queensland Government is presently working on a 10-year Housing Strategy to help build
better housing futures for all Queenslanders.

The new Housing Strategy will support the Government’s aims to provide safe, secure and
affordable housing options for all Queenslanders. The strategy will also guide the Government in
providing quality housing and homelessness services into the future.

In March this year, a Discussion Paper, Working Together for Better Housing and Sustainable
Communities was released for public consultation (Queensland Government 2016d). The
document proposes an integrated homelessness and housing assistance service system under
one inclusive Strategy. It recognises that there is a growing shortage of affordable housing for
rent and purchase in many markets across the State, and the housing system overall is struggling
to respond to people’s changing needs. It also acknowledges that the housing affordability
challenges facing people vary significantly from region to region and that each community in
Queensland has its own unique social, cultural, and local climatic factors that impact people’s
housing needs. A ‘balanced housing market’ - a mix of rental, ownership and other housing
options - may be different from place to place.

The private rental market is noted to be not working well for many people who rely on it. Recent
research found that more than half of Australia’s low income tenants are being driven into
poverty by unaffordable rents. On average, the Australian house price is now approximately 4-5
times the average annual household earnings. High deposit requirements and increased costs of
living mean that home ownership, especially for young people, is becoming out of reach. For
example, home ownership in the prime 25 – 34 year age group has slumped from 56% in 1982 to
only 34% in 2011. This has resulted in more people staying in the private rental market for longer
periods and an increase in the demand for social housing and homelessness assistance.

The lack of affordable housing for rent and purchase was found to have impacts across the
community, in particular for:

       Women, who tend to be vulnerable to housing stress and homelessness;
       Single parent families;
       Young people, who face particular challenges meeting their basic needs and experience
        difficulties in accessing and sustaining tenancies due to discrimination and poverty;




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