A Queensland audit has uncovered more than 27 hectares of government land across nine council areas for potential housing development.

The government says it is currently working with councils and undertaking a detailed investigation to finalise suitable sites across the 27 parcels of land identified.

They include 14 parcels in Brisbane, four on the gold coast, three on the Fraser Coast and one parcel each in Bundaberg, Logan, Maranoa, Moreton Bay, Noosa and Townsville.

“We’ve identified 27 parcels that are over a hectare and might be possible to be developed, Local government and planning minister Steven Miles told journalists.

“This will help us work with local government and developers to see just what’s possible on each of those sites.”

Recent research conducted by Queensland’s local government peak LGAQ shows that among residents who rate the liveability of their local area as poor, four out of five (83 per cent) believe housing to be a major issue.

Mr Miles says the state’s housing market is under increasing pressure from labour shortages, inflation, natural disasters and a growing population.

A process to shortlist smaller sites in regional centres is also underway.

Meanwhile, local governments across the state have identified 870 parcels of council owned land.

It comes as NSW, which is also facing increasing housing stress, recently announced moves to boost the delivery of housing supply.

NSW Premier Chris Minns told a summit last week that he has written to all ministers ordering an urgent departmental review to identity surplus and under-used public land that can be rezoned for housing, including affordable housing.

Councils act on housing

According to LAGQ’s  2023 Local Government Housing Strategy there are almost 100, 000 residential lots across all monitored regions in Queensland that have been approved by councils but are not yet completed, with 60,000 of these lots in South East Queensland as at September 2022.

The strategy says Queensland is the most decentralised state in Australia – which means there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the housing crisis, and  councils must be enabled to ensure local communities are at the centre of decisions that impact them.

LGAQ says councils have already  introduced a range of measures responding to the housing crisis including the provision of housing grants for residents and investors, and incentives for developers.

Noosa Council has also adopted a new local law regulating short-stay letting, while a group of councils in the state’s north and north-west are piloting the delivery of modular homes.

13,000 more homes in four years

The Queensland land audit is a key outcome of the Queensland Housing Summit held last October.

An outcomes report released after the summit recommended auditing state government-owned land and buildings for opportunities for residential use, and partnering with local governments and NGOs to identify similar opportunities

Queensland housing minister Meaghan Scanlon says the government hopes to have started building another 13,000 homes by 2027.

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