Close, but no cigar!

Sunshine Coast Council officers have today presented and endorsed the Housing and Homelessness Action Plan 2023 (The Action Plan) at the Ordinary Meeting that will now be sent to stakeholders including the State Government, but while the name sounds promising, the substance is severely lacking.

What The Action Plan and the associated officer report demonstrates is that Council is still unaware or unwilling to accept responsibility for its part in causing this crisis.

We are where we are today with a growing housing crisis because of the lack of action taken by Sunshine Coast Council over many years, and the fact that no external consultation was undertaken in preparing this report, further suggests that Council is happy to keep its head in the sand.

The report outlines 5 actions that have some merit but fail to address the core issues that have resulted in the housing crisis we have today.

At face level, action towards developing underutilised Council land, a new planning scheme, support for affordable housing, transitional accommodation, and Not-for-Profit organisations, advocacy to the State and Federal Government, and some community education seem like a good start. The reality is these are all things we have seen before, and having waited a year for this plan, with no real action, means the solution is now at least 3 years further away.

While well-intentioned, this action plan misses the point and those preparing the plan failed to consult any professional bodies who have been feverishly pointing to the real issue for a long time now – that there are simply not enough houses! This document plays at the fringes at best and unless the new planning scheme is a radical diversion to increase supply, then this is nothing but preparing to be able to make excuses… some good work, A for effort. But it doesn’t even make a pass.

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