Anthony Albanese lands housing infrastructure deal with Queensland
The Albanian government will help deliver more than 51,000 new homes in Queensland, including 20,000 for first home buyers, following the signing of a landmark agreement with the Sunshine State.
The deal is the latest agreement between the state and federal governments aimed at financing residential infrastructure, including roads, water and sewer.
Earlier this year, the Albanian government signed similar agreements to help launch 4000 new homes in Tasmania and more than 34,000 homes in Western Australia.
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil said the Queensland deal would open tens of thousands of new homes to residents “without competition from investors”.
“We’re investing in boring but necessary infrastructure like roads and sewers that will help us unlock more homes for Queenslanders, because the more homes we build,
“It’s becoming more affordable housing,” he said.
Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said more homes were “needed and fast” across the Sunshine State.
“Availability equals affordability and builders can get builders to build by providing financing for the commissioning of vital infrastructure such as roads, water, sewer and power,” he said.
“More and more people want to be Queenslanders and we are working to ensure they have a place to call home.”
As part of its deal with David Crisafulli’s Liberal-National government, the state will donate $2 billion to support infrastructure, including $399 million in grants and $1.6 billion in zero-interest concessional loans.
The state government will contribute $399 million.
Priority Development Areas at Mount Peter, Southern Thornlands and Waraba near Cairns will be targeted, with the first homes to be completed by mid-2028.
The deal is part of the federal government’s $6.3 billion commitment to invest in enabling infrastructure, including a new $2 billion Local Infrastructure Fund announced as part of the 2026-27 budget.
Finance Minister Jim Chalmers said the government was investing in new homes and making it fairer by reforming tax regulations (negative gearing and capital gains tax) and “putting first home buyers ahead of foreign investors”.
“We are approaching this housing issue responsibly from every angle and this budget builds on our ambitious housing agenda,” he said.
The Queensland government has pledged to deliver one million new homes by 2044, including the construction of 53,5000 social and social homes, to address the state’s housing crisis.
It has separately invested $2.4 billion in housing-delivering infrastructure, including the Housing Activation Fund.
This comes at a time when there is renewed focus on Australia’s housing crisis.
Following a raft of measures aimed at increasing supply and making it easier for first-home buyers to obtain loans, the Albanian government is now turning to changing tax regulations.
On the other hand, the Coalition has pledged to scrap some of these measures and instead sought to cut red tape and link net overseas migration (widely seen on the political right as a key driver of housing unaffordability) to housing completions.
