On 21 September 2022, ULI Brisbane together with sponsors Cornerstone Group and hosts Ellivo Architects, held an engaging Q&A Speakeasy on the evolving housing crisis in Queensland and the strategy needed to deliver social and affordable housing to meet the yawning gap in supply and accelerating demand.

Currently 50,000 people are on Queensland’s waiting lists, with many resorting to sleeping in their cars. With 1 percent vacancy rates, and rental rises above CPI, the situation is expected to continue unabated driven by demand from the 220,000 people forecast to move to the State from Sydney and Melbourne in the next five years. Queensland’s population growth has been rapidly outstripping its sister states with the current decade’s trend adding almost 75,000 people year on year, or a 1.4 percent average population growth.

Throughout the COVID pandemic Queensland’s economy remained resilient, despite supply chain and business disruptions but recent multiple adverse weather events have restrained access to ready workforces and compounded the delays and opportunities to expedite the building of the critical catalytic and social infrastructure required to meet such population increases.

Attending members were able to hear and ask questions of the Panel headed by Queensland’s Minister for Communities and Housing, The Hon. Leeanne Enoch. Acknowledging “Population growth has outpaced delivery of new land supply, put unprecedented pressure on the private rental market and impacted social housing” The Minister discussed the State’s new strategy to deliver more social and affordable housing for vulnerable residents.

Rebecca Oelkers, CEO of the Brisbane Housing Company and Jon Eastgate, Partner at 99 Consulting joined the panel to provide insights into what reform is required to solve the housing crisis.