A Fresh Start for Queensland: Landmark Master Agreement to unleash community housing sector
- Landmark Master Agreement to fast-track community housing delivery.
- New agreement empowers community housing sector to deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders.
- Community Housing to help deliver needed critical housing for Queenslanders on social housing waitlist.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering social homes for Queenslanders sooner, launching a landmark trial of a new Master Agreement with Community Housing Providers to fast-track community housing construction and mitigate Labor's soaring social housing waitlist.
The proposal will unleash the community housing sector by reducing red tape so they can deliver more homes, more quickly, for Queenslanders in need.
Under Labor, Community Housing Providers were left to languish, with progress on management agreements stalled for more than seven years, leaving the sector tied up in red tape while thousands more Queenslanders joined the social housing waitlist.
Under Labor, Queensland had the lowest percentage of community housing of any state.
The new Master Agreement will introduce a streamlined, modern framework to help community providers get on with delivering homes for Queenslanders who need them.
It will reduce the number of lease agreements from about 2000 down to just 114, cutting red tape, simplifying compliance and allowing Community Housing Providers to focus on home delivery.
The trial involves a smaller group of providers who will test the effectiveness of the agreement ahead of a transitioned statewide rollout in July 2025.
The significant step forward is part of the Crisafulli Government's Securing Our Housing Foundations Plan to deliver more homes for Queenslanders sooner, and a key milestone to unlock the full potential of Queensland's community housing sector to meet the election commitment of 53,500 additional social and community homes by 2044.
Minister for Housing and Public Works Sam O'Connor the new agreement delivered a fresh start for Queensland, by unleashing the community housing sector.
"We are unleashing Community Housing Providers to deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders," Minister O'Connor said.
"The Crisafulli Government is committed to genuine partnership and practical reform with the community housing sector.
"While Labor spent seven years paying lip service to the community housing sector, they failed to get a basic agreement off the ground and tied providers up in red tape.
"Labor's failures mean we have the lowest percentage of community housing stock of any Australian state.
"This Master Agreement will save time, reduce complexity, and help get homes built sooner across Queensland.
"We promised we would work with Community Housing Providers to deliver more homes – and that's exactly what we're doing."
Community Housing Industry Association Chief Executive Officer Julie Saunders said the Master Agreement process was a gamechanger for Queensland's community housing sector.
"For the first time, providers will have a consistent, modern framework that gives them the support and certainty they need to get on with the job," Ms Saunders said.
"This important trial phase shows the government is listening to our sector, working with us to get this right.
"The Master Agreement will open our industry – cutting red tape, speeding up delivery, and ultimately getting more homes built for those Queenslanders that really need this support. We're proud of this to be part of this landmark reform."
