Property Council Signs Up for Queensland Housing Plan

The leading advocate for Australia’s property industry has teamed up with Queensland’s peak body for social services in a push to increase the supply of housing in that state.

The Property Council of Australia (PCA) has signed up to the campaign run by the Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS) to ensure “no one gets left behind” in the property market.

Queensland executive director of the PCA Kathy Mac Dermott said the campaign A Fairer Queensland recognises that strong resilient communities need affordable housing and investment.

“The National Housing Supply Council estimates that we currently have an overall housing shortage of 62,000 dwellings in Queensland alone,” Mac Dermott said.

To address this shortage the Fairer Queensland campaign proposes the creation of 45,000 new affordable housing dwellings by 2020.

Chief executive of QCOSS Mark Henley welcomed the support of the PCA, saying it demonstrated a sense of community in Queensland.

“In recent years governments have been guilty of tackling this critical supply challenge in an ad-hoc manner.

“In Queensland we need to focus on reforming the planning system as well as cutting red tape, taxes and other charges to encourage the building – and lower the cost – of new homes,” Henley said.

Five initiatives have been identified by QCOSS http://www.qcoss.org.au/ for their Fairer Queensland campaign:

• Strong communities, families and children
• A minimum standard of living
• Affordable housing
• A strong community services sector
• A permanent Fairer Queensland Investment Fund

According to its website, The Property Council of Australia is the leading advocate for the nation’s $600 billion property industry.