The audit follows up on recommendations we made in Delivering social housing services (Report 1: 2022–23), which we tabled in July 2022. In that audit, we examined whether social housing was being effectively managed to meet the housing needs of vulnerable Queenslanders.
At the time, the number of approved applicants on the housing register had grown by 78 per cent over 4 years. This increase was driven by rising housing stress, caused by economic and social factors such as inflation and rising interest rates. Our report made recommendations to the then Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy (now the Department of Housing and Public Works) to confirm whether the people on the register still needed housing, model future housing demand, and improve the housing allocation processes.
Since then, the government has taken steps to increase housing availability, including committing to 5,600 new social homes by 2027 and 53,500 by 2046.
Who we plan to audit
- Department of Housing and Public Works.
In this audit, we will assess whether the Department of Housing and Public Works has effectively implemented our recommendations. We will also assess its progress with new builds and whether its planned housing aligns with its demand and forecasting model.