August 7, 2025
Homelessness in the South Burnett is a “humanitarian crisis in plain sight”, according to local not-for-profit support agency South Burnett CTC.
CEO Jason Erbacher said the situation was no longer manageable.
“This is not a case of a few rough sleepers, this is a full-blown community housing emergency,” Mr Erbacher said.
“We’re seeing families sleeping in cars, pensioners facing eviction and working parents unable to secure a home.
“These aren’t fringe cases. These are our neighbours, our clients, our friends. The system is failing them.”
CTC says the critical housing shortage across the South Burnett has left dozens of vulnerable residents without options.
Local support services are full and were forced to turn people away.
The rental market was now unaffordable and inaccessible for many individuals and families, including those working or receiving income support.
Vacancy rates were as low as 0.1 per cent in Murgon and there were fewer than 35 properties available across the region
“The truth is we’re at capacity. We are turning people away because there is literally nowhere left to put them,” CTC housing and homelessness team leader Nick Krauksts said.
“We have 168 people linked to our program right now, and more coming in daily. We supported over 500 people last year – but it’s not enough. We need more housing. We need more options. We need change.”
CTC says current data shows the median rent in Kingaroy is $450 per week, or $900 per fortnight,
A single person on JobSeeker receives $781 per fortnight, plus $211 rent assistance, which leaves them with just $92 to live on, or worse
CTC says rent should not exceed 30-40 per cent of income, yet in the South Burnett, many pay over 70 per cent.
For vulnerable applicants, the process itself can become another barrier.
“People who’ve lived with family or escaped violence often can’t provide rental history, payslips or references,” Mr Krauksts said.
“Some don’t even get to apply because they’re locked out before they start. It’s not just about affordability, it’s about access.”
Mr Erbacher called for urgent action from all levels of government, including:
- Investment in crisis and transitional housing for regional areas
- Expansion of programs such as Enhanced outreach and tenancy sustainment
- Increased funding for frontline workers to meet growing demand
- A review of income support rates and rent assistance indexing
- Landlord incentives to offer long-term, affordable tenancies
“We’re doing everything we can, but without more housing, more funding, and more flexibility in policy, we are losing ground,” Mr Erbacher said.
Kingaroy is a problem to afford a rental because the local real estate agents push landlords to continually push the rents up, then they get more commission.
There is little hope in this town with backward thinking and the lack of compassion businesspeople have for the people in this town on low incomes and families to support.
I know two rents that recently had their rent increased by $100 a week because that’s what the market value is on a computer. There was no consideration if the tenant could afford a rise of this much and consideration of loyalty to the tenants for being good tenants, just the real estate pushing landlords to raise rents and make more money even if the landlord is already a millionaire.
Greed is problem in this town and I don’t see it changing too soon. Landlords, and especially real estate agents, are low lifes that don’t give a stuff about anyone but themselves and money.
We need rent capping to a percentage, instead they can put rent up what ever they feel like