Arabic version: الإخلاءات في كوينزلاند ترتفع ثلاثة أضعاف بموجب قواعد جديدة للإسكان الاجتماعي
Queensland public housing providers recorded a threefold rise in evictions during the first year of a tougher behaviour policy, with 122 households removed from social housing between July 1, 2025 and June 30 this year, including 56 evictions classified as for dangerous or severe behaviour.
According to ABC News, the policy requires tenants who receive three written warnings for serious behaviour in a year to be evicted. Tenants are immediately evicted and banned from social housing for two years for severe or illegal activities, such as assault, drug manufacturing or other dangerous behaviour. Of those evicted in the year, 84 people have been banned from social housing for up to two years, and a further 91 households left after being issued an eviction notice but before matters proceeded to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. By comparison, 39 households were evicted in the previous year under the earlier policy.
Housing Minister Sam O’Connor said the increase showed the new approach was empowering housing officers to take action. He said: “Our message is simple: if you respect your neighbours and meet your responsibilities as a tenant, we’ll go above and beyond to help you sustain your tenancy. But, if you repeatedly engage in serious antisocial behaviour, there will be consequences.” In the first year of the policy, 1,016 breach notices relating to 911 tenancies were issued. Mr O’Connor has also said housing officers may apply discretion where tenants have complex needs, including disability, mental illness or experience of domestic violence.
Tenants Queensland chief executive Penny Carr described the rise in evictions as “concerning” but “not surprising”, saying advocacy services have seen increased demand. Carr warned that people who are evicted face “a very uncertain future” with “so little opportunity” after losing social housing. She said some tenants may be evicted for behaviours that led to them being housed initially, creating a “revolving door” where health declines and prospects for education or employment worsen. Carr urged more housing options and early support for people when concerning behaviour is identified.
This story matters because the policy has already affected large numbers of tenancies—hundreds of breach notices and scores of bans—and could reduce access to social housing for people who have complex needs or few alternatives. What happens next: housing officers are expected to continue applying the behaviour policy and may exercise discretion for tenants with complex needs, as outlined when the policy was announced.
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | Queensland | General | Social/إجتماعية
