Queensland's government is standing by its target of one million new homes by 2044, as building-industry representatives warn that a shortage of skilled workers remains the biggest obstacle. In reporting published on Monday (19 October), ABC News said the state completed 34,627 homes in the last financial year, below the 50,000 a year it says is needed to meet the pledge.
The government has pointed to a 35 per cent rise in the rate of homes under construction. ABC reported, citing Australian Bureau of Statistics data, that more than 52,500 homes were being built in the June quarter. That is the number under construction, rather than the number completed during the year.
Housing Minister Sam O'Connor told the ABC the government would retain its ambitious target. Master Builders Queensland deputy chief executive Michael Hopkins put the workforce shortfall at about 20,000 workers, calling for more skilled tradespeople and greater emphasis on training apprentices.
Hopkins described sustaining construction of 50,000 homes each year for two decades as a bold goal, but said industry and government needed to work together to increase supply. O'Connor agreed that finding enough workers was the biggest challenge, with the government focusing on attracting skilled workers to Queensland.
A long-term housing pledge
The target includes 53,500 social and community homes by 2044. It builds on the government's June 2025 housing budget announcement, which set out $8.1 billion over five years and a $2 billion Residential Activation Fund intended to provide infrastructure needed for new housing.
ABC reported that 4,913 social and affordable homes had been delivered during the government's two years in office, with another 6,574 underway. Almost 42,000 active households were on the social housing register at the end of August, according to the report.
Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive Aimee McVeigh described the social housing ambition as commendable, while seeking a broader response to housing pressures. She called for affordable housing targets to be restored in priority development areas. O'Connor said the mandates had been removed after industry feedback that they could make some projects unviable.
Recognising existing skills
In a separate skills announcement on Monday (19 October), the government said its Tradie Skills Recognition programme would fund training and assessment for almost 2,400 experienced Queenslanders. It covers automotive, engineering and manufacturing, personal services and hospitality, rather than being solely a construction programme.
Eligible workers will receive a free recognition-of-prior-learning assessment, with remaining training subsidised. The same announcement said Construction Skills Queensland would separately support hundreds of experienced workers to gain qualifications across 17 construction trades, recognising existing experience as part of efforts to strengthen the workforce.