Early 1900s: The Workers’ Dwellings Branch

The early 20th Century marked the Queensland Government's first involvement in housing when it introduced The Workers' Dwellings Act 1909 to provide subsidised housing for workers. The Workers' Dwellings Branch was established in 1910 and was responsible for lending money and providing house construction expertise.

In 1911, the maximum loan available to workers was £300 ($600). On average, houses cost between £200 ($400) and £250 ($500) and a standard size block of land could cost up to £60 ($120).

At the time, the Harvester equivalent wage for an unskilled labourer with a wife and three children was £2 and 4 shillings ($4.40) per week.

One of the few options available to those people who couldn't afford to buy their own home was renting through private owners.

The first worker's cottage was erected under the Workers' Dwellings Scheme by the Clutterbuck family in Nundah, Brisbane. They paid around £220 ($440) for the house.

In the early years, the Act financed the construction of basic four to six room dwellings. They were closely related to the 'Queenslander' houses whose design had evolved in the second half of the 19th century. After World War I, a local adaptation of the California bungalow became popular.

People were loaned money and selected a design for their house, had architects make modifications and then had their home built on their own land. By June 1940, more than 19,000 homes were built this way all over Queensland.