Queensland’s LNP government has dumped an affordable homes mandate from its State Facilitated Development (SFD) program – a planning scheme aimed at boosting housing supply – in a move it says is about cutting red tape and delivering homes more quickly.
The SFD scheme was introduced by the former Labor government in 2024 and included a mandate that at least 15 per cent of homes within those developments must be “affordable”.
But in new rules signed off on Friday, the LNP scrapped the mandate, following recommendations from the state’s productivity commissioner.
You can read the full story on ABC online HERE. It’s just one of dozens of apartment related stories in our feed from LeftField Communications.
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NEWS: Qld scraps affordable homes provisions as rising interest rates do more to suppress property prices than supply ever could.
[See the full post at: NEWS: Qld abandons affordable homes plan]
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