Housing stock across the Central Queensland region has decreased 28.5 per cent in the past decade when compared to the previous decade. Data from the Queensland Government s statistician s office, which the LNP is using to argue the state is in a housing affordability crisis, shows Rockhampton is down 15.4 per cent from 3638 housing lot registrations between 2001 and 2010 to 3079 in 2011 and 2020. Livingstone has dropped 50.2 per cent from 3755 housing lot registrations to 1870 over the same period while Gladstone has dipped 23.2 per cent from 5370 to 4125. In smaller CQ towns, Banana has dropped a staggering 83.0 per cent from 601 to 102, Central Highlands has fallen 22.5 per cent from 1763 to 1366 while Woorabinda has remained stable, due to no data being provided in 2001-2010.
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Subscriber only Housing stock across Mackay Isaac Whitsundays has decreased 33.8 per cent in the past decade when compared to the previous decade. Data from the Queensland government s statistician s office, which the LNP is using to argue the state is in a housing affordability crisis, shows the Whitsundays is down 59.1 per cent from 4354 housing lot registrations between 2001 and 2010 to 1782 in 2011 and 2020. Mackay has dropped 20.4 per cent from 7803 housing lot registrations to 6214 over the same period while Isaac has dipped 29.2 per cent from 1135 to 804. The city s rental vacancy rate remains ultra-low at less than 1 per cent and local service providers say the lack of social housing in the region has hit a crisis point.
More than 200 complaints of anti-social behaviour a week are being made about Queensland public housing tenants, with dozens evicted as a result. The Housing Department fielded 10,901 complaints in 2019-20, the equivalent of about one complaint for every six homes managed by the Queensland Government. But the total number of complaints reduced by a significant 26 per cent from the previous financial year, when there were 14,817 lodged. There were 33 instances of wilful or malicious damage identified in public housing in 2019-20, with the total damages bill reaching $61,770. The department actively pursues payment of debts resulting from wilful or malicious damage from tenants and ex-tenants, a Housing Department spokesman said.