Early 2000s: Improving people’s lives through housing

In the early 2000s, we are seeing greater inequity in the income and wealth of Australians with declining levels of home ownership, increasing numbers of long-term private renters and greater numbers of households experiencing housing stress. This places governments and housing providers under greater pressure.

All states and territories have renewed calls for the Commonwealth Government to take an integrated, national approach to housing policy and address housing and related issues such as health, education and employment.

Changes to the Commonwealth Government's funding preferences through the Commonwealth and State Housing Agreement are increasingly directing funds away from the construction of new public housing and into programs to assist low-income earners rent accommodation in the private market.

In the early 2000s, the demand for housing in Queensland has never been higher. The State's population grew by more than 634,000 persons from 1991 to 2001, mainly due to interstate migration to the 'Smart State'. In 2003, the Queensland population reached 3.7 million and is expected to increase to around 5.5 million persons by 2026.

The 'baby boomers' are approaching their 60s and Australia's population continues to age and diversify. A growing number of people with specialised housing needs are not being catered for by the private housing market.

House prices continue to rise and young professionals and retirees in particular flock to embrace inner-city living. Burgeoning residential developments and gentrification sees older residential and former industrial areas turned into bustling new communities, further reducing the amount of affordable inner-city housing.

Many people with lower incomes are moving to areas with cheaper housing and often worse access to employment and other services.

Today, the Queensland Department of Housing takes a more sophisticated approach to developing sustainable housing options to meet Queensland's housing needs in the 21st Century. Research, client participation and consultation, cross-government collaboration and partnerships with the private sector are now standard business practices for the department.

Housing design is modern and innovative, and draws on the Commission's long history of expertise. Economic, social and environmental sustainability is high on the building and design agenda. As a result, houses, units and boarding houses are increasingly better suited to residents' needs and Queensland's environment.

This work crosses over into the private market with the department providing expert advice to home builders, owners and renovators on how to make housing safer and more cost-effective, accessible and environmentally sustainable.

In the early 2000s, the department's focus is on improving the lives of Queenslanders by providing safe and secure housing. But it is about more than just building houses. It is about building and rebuilding communities to nurture increased levels of pride and confidence, working closely with residents to close gaps in services and infrastructure. Programs that work hand-in-hand with communities facing significant social and economic challenges are expanding, enhancing housing options and employment opportunities and improving transport, health, recreation and community facilities.

The department's services continue to respond to the constantly changing and diverse needs of Queenslanders through targeted programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that also address employment and training needs. In 2002, as part of the Queensland Government's commitment to Reconciliation, the department produced a Reconciliation Statement and Action Plan that identified actions to advance the Reconciliation process between the department, its staff and clients. Programs designed for older people and people with a disability also continue to grow.

Innovative alliances are being formed and solutions developed to respond to specific issues in inner-city environments. The Brisbane Housing Company for example, a not-for-profit partnership between the State Government and the Brisbane City Council, is established to build or buy homes in the inner city to rent to people on low-to-moderate incomes.

The Kelvin Grove Urban Village is another example of an innovative housing solution that is setting new benchmarks for urban development. A partnership between the Department of Housing and the Queensland University of Technology, it involves the development of a sustainable, master-planned, inner-city community with private sector developers. This community, when completed in 2007, will incorporate more than 800 units of accommodation (200 of these being affordable housing), as well as education and recreation facilities, and retail and commercial outlets.

All in all, the Queensland Housing Commission has come a long way since its early beginnings.

So much so, that the legislation that provided the legal basis for all of the Commission's activity since its inception, had begun to inhibit rather than embrace the development of innovative housing solutions. Many aspects of the State Housing Act 1945 , which was written at a time when the Queensland Government's focus was on assisting families into home ownership immediately after World War II, were no longer relevant to address Queensland's housing needs in the 21st Century.

So in 2003, after many years of development and consultation, new housing legislation was tabled in Parliament to replace the obsolete State Housing Act 1945 and to provide a modern basis for the Department of Housing's activities. The new Housing Act 2003 now supports traditional social housing provision, as well as many of the new approaches already being explored.