A homeless person sleeping rough in the Brisbane CBD. Picture: NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell

Experts fear historic $2b funding to tackle social housing supply and homelessness services could be overrun unless a bigger move is made to stop people falling into extremes in the first place.

The Queensland state budget saw an allocation of around $1.967b over four years to grow social and community housing supply, along with historic ongoing investment of $500m a year beyond that period – said to be the first permanent funding commitment of its kind in the state.

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The allocation was welcomed by sector peak body QShelter CEO Fiona Caniglia as “a strong signal that the government is serious about meeting its target of 53,500 social and community homes by 2044”.

Alongside that, $380.1m was allocated over five years to go into crisis accommodation and frontline homelessness services, of which $152.6m was for the 2025-26 financial year, and roughly $30-40m annually in subsequent years.

“We congratulate the 20pc funding uplift for specialist homelessness services (SHS). While this increased investment is very welcome and much needed, our proposals to government urge reforms that shift our focus from crisis management to genuine prevention.”

Ms Caniglia said “we can’t afford to wait until people’s circumstances are desperate to intervene”.

A homeless person in Brisbane. Experts are calling for more to be done to prevent people falling into such circumstances in the first place. Picture: NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell

QShelter’s 2026 budget submission called for the government to not just respond to current needs, but help prevent future homelessness and protect renters. It also identified the need to invest in workforce attraction, retention and wellbeing within the sector to sustain effective housing and homelessness services.

Queensland has around 76,000 social housing units, of which 64,500 are state-owned, with the remaining owned or managed by community housing providers (CHPs) – with the waitlist as of March 2025 sitting at 52,031 people.

The state’s most recent official data on homelessness, from the 2021 Census, estimated there were 22,428 people living rough, most of whom were in Brisbane LGA 7,517, Logan 3,950, Gold Coast 3,190, Moreton Bay 2,879, Ipswich 2,126 and Sunshine Coast 1,911.

Queensland’s homelessness snapshot:

State-wide: 22,428 people

– Brisbane LGA: 7,517

– Logan: 3,950

– Gold Coast: 3,190

– Moreton Bay: 2,879

– Ipswich: 2,126

– Sunshine Coast: 1,911

(Source: 2021 Census)

– Story by Katherine Lee

The post $2b housing gamble to stop homelessness crisis appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Sydney Roosters star Nat Butcher is making a big money move that could set him up for life. Picture: Getty

Sydney Roosters star Nat Butcher and his model wife Harmony have listed their recently completed redundant duplex in Matraville.
The Butchers had the burgeoning home builder Future Flip create the luxury duplex after they paid $2.71m for a now-demolished two-level home on its 770 sqm block.

It has great street appeal.

Future Flip, ran by developer Neil Hipwell which is making a name for itself from Byron to the South Coast for its modern homebuilds, built two side-by-side homes, each with five bedrooms, a kitchen with Caeserstone benchtops, and a living room with a modern gas fireplace in a feature wall. The living space opens to a rear lawn and an in-ground pool.

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NRL star Nat Butcher and wife Harmony have listed a duplex at Matraville.

Harmony and Nat Butcher.

The Butchers, with their one-year-old son Beau, intend to live in one of the homes.

McGrath Coogee agent Marnie Seinor says it is the ultimate forever home for modern family living.

Seinor is awaiting market feedback on price, but has scheduled a July 19 auction.

Friends and family of the Butchers had previously used Future Flip.

“The build took just 10 months,” Harmony told The Daily Telegraph

“We’d seen the high standard of Future Flip homes,” Harmony said.

“Quality is important to us; we didn’t want to compromise on the build or finishes.

“We had control over the finishes and layout and took on board the architect’s great ideas. They brought our vision to life.”

She especially loves its high ceilings, the open fireplace and the sunken lounge.

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The Butchers had the burgeoning home builder Future Flip create the luxury duplex. Picture: Instagram

Nat Butcher, who was recently ruled out for the next six weeks after suffering a recurrence of an MCL strain in training, said the home will suit a family.

“It’s a big home with a big backyard and great for entertaining…… it’s also only five minutes to the beach.”

Harmony, a model represented by Chic Management, has been documenting the building journey to her 91,000 Instagram followers.

“The most exciting part of this build has been turning four walls into a space we call home,” Harmony wrote last month amid pictures of their recent furniture purchase with James Lane.

The couple collaborated with Joshua Hill on the photography.

Butcher, back left, was a part of the Roosters 2019 Grand Final winning team. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Butcher in action for the Roosters this season. Picture: Getty

Matraville has been a popular pocket for new-build duplexes by footballers. South Sydney Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray is a few months off completion of his duplex. He bulldozed the original home bought with fiancee Miranda Cross for $3.1m in 2022.

Former Sydney Swan Luke Parker developed a duplex in 2022.

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The post Roosters star’s massive money move appeared first on realestate.com.au.

It has been a much-loved family home for the past two decades and now vendors Liz and Dilip say the time has come to let another family enjoy it.

The couple bought the home at 151 River Rd in 2004 after arriving in Australia from the UK, falling in love with the Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf’s proximity to the city.

“You can’t buy anything like this in the UK easily without having a few million pounds up your sleeve,” Liz says.

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151 River Rd, Hahndorf.

151 River Rd, Hahndorf.

151 River Rd, Hahndorf.

“We really loved it because it was open, cute, had lovely views to Mount Lofty, most of the land is cleared and we’re surrounded by nice rolling hills.

“There was a small house down nearer the road so we’ve built it up back from the road and designed it to really maximise those 270-degree views we have.

“Plus we’re so close to the city – our friends always arrive early because it’s so much quicker to get here than they think it might.”

The home has four bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen, meals and family area; a separate lounge and dining room, and a study.

Outside you’ll find a sparkling inground swimming pool and the home sits on a spacious 10.87ha allotment with a 10.5 megalitre dam.

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151 River Rd, Hahndorf.

151 River Rd, Hahndorf.

151 River Rd, Hahndorf.

Ideal for their family, Liz says the time has come to downsize and let someone else enjoy the wonderful home they have created.

“It’ll be a wrench to sell as this is the longest we’ve lived anywhere, but we’re in a different phase of our life,” she says.

“We’ll certainly miss the wildlife and sitting out with a glass of wine enjoying the view.”

The home is being sold via a best offers campaign, which closes at 1pm on July 7.

The post Enviable views make Hahndorf home stand out appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Zac Homes CEO Peter Zaccazan (centre) is selling his Gold Coast penthouse

A Western Sydney project home builder who splashed $7.5m on a newly built beachfront penthouse is the first owner to cash out of the boutique Gold Coast building.

Zac Homes founder Peter Zaccazan purchased one of seven luxury sky homes in the Palm Beach tower, moving his family to Queensland during a surge in interstate migration post-Covid.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at 7/15 Jefferson Lane is listed for sale with Josh Willatt and Taylor Davis, of McGrath Estate Agents Palm Beach.

7/15 Jefferson Lane, Palm Beach

The penthouse has a private rooftop entertaining zone with a heated pool

It is marketed without a price guide via an expressions of interest campaign, with the unit the first resale within the 2021 development by Kazumi Nakagawa and Jason Kennedy.

“The owner paid a pretty strong number for the property at the time, but when people come through they realise this one is really special, and nothing of this calibre has come to market in Palm Beach since,” Mr Willatt said.

Features included spectacular ocean views and 532 sqm of living space over a full floor and private rooftop entertaining zone with a heated pool.

It is the first to be re-sold within the building

High-end finishes throughout

“This high-end penthouse is the pinnacle of luxury with an outstanding floor plan with French oak flooring and 3m high ceilings, marble and stone throughout.”

The property had served as a “Covid escape” for Mr Zaccazan, who continued to commute to his company’s Penrith homebase.

“They bought this on a whim. There was an idea of, ‘let’s escape’ when the borders were closed during the pandemic, but then the owner was effectively doing FIFO [fly in fly out] every week while the kids were going to school here on the Coast,” Mr Willatt said.

Spectacular ocean views

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It is the most expensive established apartment on the market in the suburb listed on realestate.com.au.

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The post Zac Homes boss lists $7.5m beachfront penthouse appeared first on realestate.com.au.

New home sales missed sales estimates significantly in Wednesday’s report and we have negative revisions to the previous months. The builders’ profit margins are dwindling, which means housing construction, which has been at early COVID-19 recession levels for some time, could worsen if mortgage rates stay elevated or head even higher.

So, instead of focusing on the new home sales report directly, I want to show you why housing permits and housing starts are at recessionary levels even though new home sales have stayed within a range for many years now.

Builders’ confidence is in the dumps

The homebuilders’ confidence data, which primarily reflects the views of smaller builders, is currently close to the lowest levels seen during the COVID-19 recession. Late last year, despite rising mortgage rates, builder confidence started to improve. I believe this optimism was largely based on the expectation that mortgage rates would decrease this year and on the expected reduction in regulations. However, mortgage rates are now near 7% and ongoing discussions about tariffs have made the situation more challenging. 

I am realistic about how low mortgage rates can go, given the Federal Reserve‘s restrictive policy for housing. Nevertheless, whenever mortgage rates have approached 6% in the last few years, both housing data and builders’ confidence improved. It seems that holding back an entire industry over an 0.80% basis point change is an ineffective way to manage this part of the economy. I am not talking about 3%, 4% or even 5% mortgage rates, but if 6% is a no-go, then expect less construction going out.

Builders manage their completed supply carefully

One of the things I don’t believe people understand about homebuilders is that they’re not the March of Dimes; they sell homes as a commodity, and they have to be mindful of their profit margins or else they need to start laying people off. With that in mind, the completed units for sale hit 119,000 today. Now, that doesn’t seem like a lot of homes, but historically speaking, as the chart below shows, the builders tend to stop building when completed units of sale get around 120,000.

It’s important to note that the number of homes that have not yet started construction has reached a record high of 117,000. If you’re wondering why builders haven’t laid off workers yet, it’s because they have projects ready to begin, but they are waiting for lower mortgage rates. However, as profit margins continue to decline, it is only a matter of time before they can no longer maintain their labor force if sales data worsen.

Conclusion

This article takes a different approach to explain why housing starts and permits have stalled and are currently sitting at recessionary levels. I recently noted that homebuilders are hesitant to increase permit production. The new home sales report indicates that the housing market has remained stagnant in terms of sales for several years, with only a glimmer of hope emerging when mortgage rates approach 6%.

However, until that happens, don’t look for the housing construction boom that so many people were talking about for years. I wrote back in June of 2021 that once rates rose, reality would hit those looking for a construction boom, and in fact, 2022 was the peak of housing construction data. We haven’t been able to get permits or starts back toward cycle highs since mortgage rates rose in 2022, even with the homebuilders paying down rates.