Pandemic-generated pressures have left our rental housing market reeling. Australia-wide, vacancy rates are at rock-bottom levels. Rents are soaring at record rates.
Queensland has been at the epicentre of the post-COVID housing storm. Since the pandemic began, house rents have surged by 23% nationally, but by a punishing (for tenants) 34% in Brisbane. The state’s recent increases in homelessness have likewise outpaced all other states and territories.
Our report for Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS), released today, outlines the huge scale of the state’s housing challenge. Our analysis shows that unmet need for social housing in Queensland now exceeds 100,000 households. That’s five times the official waiting list number.
