WQAC Housing Solutions Study Report

Similar to other infrastructure deficits in Western Queensland (such as roads, water and digital communications), the availability and diversity of quality housing stock is a key barrier to growing the economic and social potential of Western Queensland. In turn, this situation also constrains the growth potential of the State and Nation which relies on the productivity of regions such as Western Queensland to generate wealth for re-distribution.

In an effort to understand and quantify the apparent market failure in housing throughout Western Queensland, the Western Queensland Alliance of Councils (a collaborative partnership between the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC), the Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) and the South West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (SWQROC)) have invested in and worked jointly with the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) to produce this Report.

In doing so, we acknowledge that the housing challenges facing communities in Western Queensland are multifaceted and will require the collective efforts of all levels of government and the private sector if enduring and tangible solutions are to be achieved.

This Report represents the first step on behalf of the WQAC to understanding the issues, documenting them, and identifying potential solutions – for which we invite further analysis and suggestions on the way forward.