Queensland Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch says accusations she is failing to meet social housing targets are misleading.
However, a report from the Productivity Commission, the Australian government’s independent research body, shows that the Queensland government has only met about a quarter of its average yearly social housing target.
The Queensland government’s definition of social housing also included programs such as crisis accommodation and the national rental affordability scheme, which the Productivity Commission, the Australian government’s independent research body, excluded from the report.
Budget papers from 2019-20 show the government promised to deliver 497 social homes in that year, but Productivity Commission figures, using that different definition, put the increase at 157.
“It does not capture all homes considered social housing by the Queensland government," said Ms Enoch.
The waitlist for social housing is nearly double that of 2017, with over 47,000 people waiting for housing in 2020.