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On this Page Background and SCEC's Position
Track the Media Stories and Commentary (UPDATED 23/07/08)
Mythbuster on Housing Affordability
Letters - Address Real Housing Issues
Click Here for the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Letter
Click Here to Sign the Petition
Background and SCEC's Position State government plans announced on 4th June 2008, to accommodate at least 75,000 more people on the Sunshine Coast are in conflict with the regional council’s mandate to slow growth to the national average. Coast mayor Bob Abbot received a 70 per cent mandate from the electorate for a policy platform of sustainability and slowed growth. See SCD Article 24 April 2008 - Mayor Bob Abbot's plan to halve Coast growth - http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/apr/24/population-cap-coast/ The government has had the Urban Land Development Authority Act since September last year to address housing affordability, and identified sites they were to fast-track – Bowen Hills, Northshore Hamilton, Fitzgibbon, Wooloongabba and Mackay show grounds. According to their website http://www.ulda.qld.gov.au/, only the first two, Bowen Hills and NorthShore Hamilton, have started any meaningful planning and have timeframes of delivery at February 2009, one and a half years after they had the Act in place. The other sites have not even got a draft up and still have no timeframes for delivery - they will not be able to deliver. It is clear the state government has forced amalgamations to get a pro-development rubber-stamp council. Click Here to Download Full PIFU State Government Report (Large File = 2.02MB) Please Note:- The Table for combined residential (rural residential and urban residential) are in Appendix B page 21 of the report. It is actually not 7000 allotments but 8125 (Noosa, Caloundra and Maroochy combined) approved allotments. Increasing Land Supply will not Deliver Cheaper Homes
11 July 2008 | By Sonia Marshal - Sunshine Coast Environment Council | Letters - SCD The notion that increasing land supply and population delivers good community outcomes is false. It leads to onimous, environmental, social and economic consequences if managed incorrectly. There's a need for appropriate infrastructure. The environmental impacts will irreversibly damage the Coasts iconic biodiversity. This will impact on the tourism industry. Further development of flood plains will create danger to life and property in the face of climate change. Then there is the issue of water scarcity. Increasing land supply won't address housing affordability. The AEC group reported that local government in south-east was approving allotments at a 25% greater rate than developers released land. The State Department of Local Government and sport and Recreation (June quarter 2007) shows about 50,000 allotments in south-east Queensland are approved but not yet released to the market. About 7,000 of these are on the Sunshine Coast. Devleopers drip feed supply to keep their profits and prices up. Return to Top
Track the Media Stories and Commentary
Abbot's Plan to Halve Coast Growth
24 April 2008 | Jane Gardner | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/apr/24/population-cap-coast/
Growth Management Strategies to be Reviewed
15 May 2008 | Comment: Vivien Griffin | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/may/15/local-growth-management-strategies-be-reviewed/
Coast Sites Earmarked for Housing
4 June 2008 | Suzanne Keen and AAP | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/04/coast-sites-earmarked-housing/
Bligh's Housing Plan for Coast 'Madness'
5 June 2008 | Bill Hoffman and Carolyn Tucker | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/05/blighs-housing-plan-coast-madness/
Fight Mad Land Plan, Abbot Urges
6 June 2008 | By Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/06/take-streets-against-mad-land-plan/
Analyst Issues House Price Warning
6 June 2008 | By Toby Walker | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/06/house-price-warning/
Bligh's Land Plan Catches Developers Off-Guard
6 June 2008 | By Toby Walker | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/06/house-price-warning/
Battle Lines Drawn in Land Rush Row
7 June 2008 | By Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/07/battle-lines-drawn-land-rush-row/
Land Release 'Won't Bring Down House Prices'
8 June 2008 | By Carolyn Tucker | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/08/land-release-wont-bring-house-prices-down/
Development Plan Outrages Councillor
10 June 2008 | Staff writers | SCD Planning portfolio chairman Russell Green said the infrastructure needed to service the developments would cost billions of dollars and take years to build. http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/10/outrage/
Government Land Release is Flawed
11 June 2008 | Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/blogs/bill-hoffman/2008/jun/11/land-release/
Government 'Wants to Kill off Councils'
16 June 2008 | By Nicola Kerkenezov | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/16/govt-killing-councils/
Anger Grows over Bligh's Housing Plan
16 June 2008 | By Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/16/housing-plan-anger-deepens/
Fury over Fast-Track of Housing Plans
19 June 2008 | Bill Hoffman and Alan Lander | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/19/fury-over-fast-track-housing-plans/
Call to Slow Growth
24 June 2008 | NN http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/24/call-slow-growth/
New Climate Change Report Delivers Bad News
26 June 2008 | SCD The findings of the Climate Change in Queensland report released yesterday by the state government highlighted the irresponsibility of forcing population growth on to coastal floodplains. http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/26/new-climate-change-report-delivers-bad-news/
Developer Giants Declare Growth War
9 July 2008 | By Carolyn Tucker | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jul/09/developer-giants-declare-growth-war/
Developers Killing our Voice: Lew
10 July 2008 | By Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jul/10/developers-killing-our-voice-lew/
Future Coast Growth Will be Green and Clean
22nd July 2008 | By Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jul/22/sunshine-coast-growth-will-be-green-now/
Council Draws a Line in the Sand
July 23 | Bill Hoffman | SCD http://www.thedaily.com.au/blogs/bill-hoffman/2008/jul/23/brighter-future/
Coast Council Calls for 'Smart Growth'
12:00a.m. 23rd July 2008 | By Bill Hoffman http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jul/23/council-stands-coast/ Return to Top
Mythbuster on Housing Affordability
PIFU - June 2007 Myth:
Housing will be more affordable if planning processes are freed up to increase land supply which will flood the market and drive down the price. Fact:
This action would wipe tens of thousands of dollars of the value of the average Australian’s equity in their own homes causing massive economic and social upheaval. Evidence:
A well respected economic research company, the AEC Group, produced a recent report for the Local Government Association of Queensland on factors influencing housing affordability in Queensland. It showed that local government in South East Queensland were approving allotments at a 25% greater rate than developers have been releasing land. This land banking is particularly evident on the Sunshine Coast. The latest available figures from the State Department of Local Government and Sport and Recreation for the June quarter 2007 show developers sitting on approvals on the Sunshine Coast of approximately 7000 allotments. Across South East Queensland there is a total of just under 50 000 allotments approved but not yet released to the market. This drip feeding of supply keeps prices and developer profits up and, according to the AEC, report assisted a recent doubling of the market capitalisation of Queensland development companies. No matter how much land is approved, developers continue to hold the whip hand to maximise profit through controlling when it will be put onto the market. This process is more worrying when a handful of development companies have effectively gained monopolistic control. Housing affordability is also aggravated by the fact that the development industry are not targeting the first home buyer but rather the far more lucrative third and fourth home buyer market. What should be done to ensure our kids have the ability to put a roof over their heads? Require all new developments to have diverse housing forms allowing entry level home and land options for first home buyers
Provide developer incentives for increasing low cost housing stock
Have the State reverse its present position and allow Council’s to levy a social housing contribution
Lobby for Federal and State contributions to Regional Housing Companies to assist them provide low cost accommodation
Review the present tax arrangements including negative gearing for second home ownership
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Address Real Housing Issues
11 June 2008 | SCD | Letters We are very concerned about the state government's proposed release of Sunshine Coast land "to tackle the spiralling housing affordability (issue) in south-east Queensland" (SCD. June 5) - http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jun/05/blighs-housing-plan-coast-madness/ From St Vincent de Paul experience at "the coalface", it will do nothing to address the real issue, which is not providing more profits for developers, but rather housing affordability. Our members are seeing the savage effects of obscene rent rises, rising interest rates and fuel prices on a daily basis. The answer is not to release more land and build more houses, but rather, provide more accommodation for those families on an average income (refer article "Everything's overpriced on the Coast" SCD, June 6). We endorse mayor Bob Abbot's comments regarding establishing "state, council and developer partnerships to build good standard homes, managed by someone from like the Queensland Housing Commission for rent at a rate of 15% under market prices" and the need for modest house and land packages under $250,000. However, even this measure, if implemented, fails to address how the current strained local infrastructure would cope with an additional 75,000 people on the Coast. What we do need is for Ms Bligh provide the resources AND consult and work with local councils, regional housing groups and community organisations to determine the most appropriate outcome for our region. What we don't need is poorly thought-through mandates that do nothing to address the real housing issues faced by individuals and Sunshine Coast communities. Peter Williamson
For St Vincent de Paul Social Justice Committee Return to Top |
