October 15, 2021
South Burnett Mayor Brett Otto has invited Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch to visit the South Burnett to discuss housing issues.
Mayor Otto and Cr Kathy Duff met with Minister Enoch at Parliament House on Wednesday.
The Mayor said he had a good conversation with Minister Enoch and said she was committed to visiting the region.
“Minister Enoch is fully aware of our housing situation here in the South Burnett, as a result of high property demand and a lack of available affordable housing,” Mayor Otto said.
His office was now liaising with Minister Enoch’s office to confirm a date for her visit.
“It is absolutely vital we continue to work with the government of the day to achieve outcomes for our communities and I know Minister Enoch was grateful for the visit and she said she would visit our towns, too,” the Mayor said.
Mayor Otto has previously called for “bipartisan support from all stakeholders” to find a solution to the housing issue in the South Burnett.
As at June 30, there were 72 approved applicants waiting for vacancies in the 233 public housing units in the South Burnett.
It has also been estimated there are between 130 and 150 homeless people in the region, including people couch-surfing, living in cars or sleeping rough.
“I was able to highlight to Minister Enoch our situation as well as committing to her our willingness to be part of the Palaszczuk Government’s four-year plan,” Mayor Otto said.
In June, the State Government unveiled its Queensland Housing Strategy Action Plan 2021-2025 which included a $1.8 billion investment over four years and a new $1 billion Housing Investment Fund to increase social housing stock and increase housing and homelessness support across Queensland.
The Mayor said the housing issue was a side-effect of the pandemic.
“Queensland has been kept so safe thus far resulting in huge demands for regional housing. There are very few rentals available, and we are actively working as a Council to identify opportunities to rectify this,” he said.
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