On Thursday, 23 July 2026 during estimates hearings for the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee, I asked the Minister for Housing if it is the government's policy that house prices should fall.
You can read our full exchange below or in the Parliamentary record of proceedings here.
Mr BERKMAN: Minister, we have seen recent polling that shows a growing majority of Australians say that house prices could fall so that more people can afford to buy one. Is it this government’s policy that house prices should go down or they should continue to rise?
Mr O’CONNOR: It is very broad, but I am happy to take it.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Maiwar, for that question. I will not ask you to authenticate the polling because I think the question stands regardless.
Mr O’CONNOR: This government’s policy is to increase supply of all types. You were in the session yesterday with the Deputy Premier on private market supply. We are very proud of the numbers we are achieving there through the Residential Activation Fund. That is over 100,000 lots unlocked now, including in my community on the Gold Coast which has 18,900 we unlocked with the council. We have the Land Activation Program, which is activating state land that in many cases has had more spent on it for mowing contractors than building on it.
It is all about increasing supply. In my space—in the session we are in I will stick to what is relevant to this session, and that is social and community housing—we are very proud of how big that pipeline is: to have contracted alone 5,544 homes since we were elected. That is without even including the homes that began construction on our watch or were under construction on our watch. We have that pipeline at over 6,900 and are investing more money—not just in this budget, but we beat our own record of the last budget—than any other government has before. That is the only thing that will move the needle.
It has to be supply of all types. The private market is more relevant to your question, but the more vulnerable people you get out of the private market the better. That is what social and community housing is for. We are delivering at a scale that this state has not seen before. We are very proud of the investments we are making and the actions we are taking. In the next session there will be quite a bit we can talk about in terms of building policy and in terms of things like the Queensland Housing Code and the regulation of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.
Mr BERKMAN: Point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
Mr BERKMAN: It is simply on relevance. If the minister is disinclined to answer specifically about house prices and policy then I would take that answer as given.
Mr McDONALD: Point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Dr ROWAN: Point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Lockyer, what is your point of order?
Mr McDONALD: My point of order is that the point of order the member for Maiwar just made contained imputations. The minister is being directly relevant to the question and giving a complete answer. It is a very broad question, as you outlined in allowing the question in the first place.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Leader of the House?
Dr ROWAN: My point of order is that there was a bit of latitude allowed in the question given that it cuts across different portfolio areas. There are elements of the question that were put that could have been put to the Deputy Premier yesterday. There are other elements that the housing minister is being responsive to which pertain to his portfolio area. Given the broad nature of the question, the minister is being responsive to those elements which directly related to his portfolio; however, other elements of the question, as I stated, related to the Deputy Premier’s portfolio area and could have been put to him yesterday.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Maiwar, I have been listening to the minister. He is being responsive in terms of his portfolio area in relation to the supply of social and affordable housing, which does relate to the issue of policy and policy in relation to what you have asked about. Minister, did you have further comments to add in relation to your portfolio?
Mr O’CONNOR: I will leave for the next session BPIC and the impact that had on housing delivery. On supply there is a lot we are doing.