In the coming decade, Queensland’s economy is set to continue its transformation thanks to a number of key factors – either by design or circumstance.

Townsville, Queensland, and Australia will continue our journey to reduce emissions, innovate with clean energy and decarbonise our day-to-day operations.

For the foreseeable future, Queensland and Australia will be subject to high interest rates and above desired inflation, thereby imposing overheads on all levels of government and industry.

Critically, many communities in Queensland, including Townsville, are now subject to a housing crisis as well. With rental vacancies and housing affordability both at record lows, it is incumbent on all three levels of government to work together to ensure that nobody gets left behind.

Programs designed to promote the introduction of new housing stock from both a Federal and State level need to get out of the capital cities – already heaving with traffic and overcrowded transportation – and look to regional centres to reap rewards and to spread prosperity.

Many local governments in regional Queensland have an abundance of land – on our urban fringes as well as closer to our CBDs – which need assistance from Government in order to get developers over the line to infill and densify our cities and towns.

For example, in Townsville, we are beginning the process of repurposing a heritage railyard precinct in our CBD – land owned by Council, known as North Rail Yards. We are seeking interest from those wanting to build affordable housing, as well as build to-rent projects. We cannot do this alone. 

Developers, already shy about building “up” in North Queensland thanks to sky-high strata title insurance, need assistance from the State and Federal Governments to make these developments stack up.

Why do we need the extra housing in Townsville?

Our rental vacancies are less than 1% across the city – and in some in-demand suburbs, are as close to 0% as you can get.

We are on the cusp of an industrial boom – with plenty of clean energy and green manufacturing projects on the horizon.

The Federal Government has recently announced the transfer of almost 900 soldiers from Adelaide and Sydney to Townsville.

These are all exciting times for Townsville and North Queensland, but we need the Federal and State Governments to get serious about fixing the housing crisis in order for our full potential as a city, a region, a State, and a nation, to be realised.