Qld Unveils Affordable Housing Supercharge Strategy

Queensland is moving to supercharge its critically low social and affordable housing stock with a nation-leading “always-open” procurement process, backed by record budgeted funding of $5.6 billion.

The new strategy aims to help community housing providers (CHPs) deliver homes rapidly, tackling the growth state’s housing shortage.

The so-called Queensland Community Housing Investment Pipeline (Q-CHIP) marks a fundamental change in how the state partners with the sector.

Moving away from time-limited grant rounds, CHPs can now submit project proposals year-round, enabling greater certainty and scalability for development.

Queensland Treasurer and home ownership minister David Janetzki underscored the urgency of the government’s commitment, noting the state’s level of social and affordable housing stock had fallen to the lowest in the country.

“Queensland has the lowest percentage of community housing stock of any Australian state, at just 16 per cent compared to Tasmania at 65 per cent or New South Wales at 34 per cent,” Janetzki said.

“The Crisafulli Government is investing significantly to ensure we can turn the tide, and this new procurement process ensures community housing providers have the certainty to plan, partner and build at scale.”

Its funding includes $5.6 billion secured in the 2025-26 Budget, alongside an ongoing baseline of $500 million annually from 2029-30, to guarantee a sustainable pipeline.

Housing minister Sam O’Connor said the new procurement process would “drive competition to deliver better outcomes” to achieve the LNP government’s targeted 53,500 new social and affordable homes by 2044.

“Housing providers will be able to have pre-lodgement discussions with our teams to tailor and target their proposed projects,” he said.

Community Housing Industry Association chief executive Julie Saunders said community housing providers were the backbone of delivering safe and affordable homes. 

▲ Shovels hit dirt at Community Housing Limited's site at Waterford West.

“Our sector welcomes the Crisafulli Government’s record $5.6 billion housing investment and the launch of Q-CHIP, which will allow us to work alongside government to bring forward more projects, more quickly, for Queenslanders who need them most,” she said.

The strategic focus is already yielding tangible results, with the first of 255 new social and affordable homes being delivered across southern Queensland in partnership with Community Housing Queensland Limited.

At Waterford West, shovels hit the dirt this week to mark the start of construction of 44 one and two-bedroom homes, part of the second phase of CHL’s innovative project pipeline, which builds on its 156-home first phase.

The projects—spanning Park Ridge, Marsden, Woodridge, Waterford West, Miles, Chinchilla and Roma—are designed to support Queenslanders on the housing register, as well as people over 55 who may be under-occupying larger homes or in properties no longer suited to their needs.

CHL chief executive Danny Dracic said the financial model combines state capital grants and availability payments with senior debt from ANZ, crucially ensuring debt-free ownership after 20 years.

“This innovative model provides a financially sustainable approach to creating more social and affordable homes,” he said.

“The approach also supports close collaboration among CHL and our partners by working to replicate and scale the model across the state to meet growing community housing needs.”

CHL Queensland manager Carly Bairstow said the projects were “about so much more than bricks and mortar”.

“They will give older Queenslanders, families and people waiting on the housing register the security of having a place to truly call home,” she said.

All projects in the current partnership are expected to be completed between September of 2026 and early 2028.