The Mackay Daily Mercury reports today that rents in Moranbah have sky-rocketed to up to $3000 per week for a standard three bedroom home.* For the same money you can rent five-bedroom, five bathroom and swimming pool mansions on the Gold Coast.
Moranbah might be at the epicentre but the mining boom is having the same effect all around the country in places like Roma, Karratha and even bigger centres like Mackay.
Meanwhile this government has a $100 million Building Better Regional Cities program which aims “to invest in local infrastructure projects that support an increase in the number of homes for sale and rent that are affordable for working families on ordinary incomes.”** Places like Moranbah, Karratha and Roma do not qualify for funding, however, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Geelong do.
“Minister Burke said that his program was to help fly-in, fly-out workers, maybe he actually meant fly-in, fly-out surfers” said Senator Barnaby Joyce.
“Like all that the Labor party does, the rhetoric is workshop plausible but the outcome is inconceivable. Miners, predominantly blokes, doing back-to-back rotations and living with all the social grace of an army want a better life. They can get a better life if they can get the routine delivered by a family, a house, a garden and a bed that is theirs, not one that is rented in 24 hour cycles.
“If the Labor party was a party of real vision, they would see the opportunity to assist Moranbah to deliver a better style of life in terms of housing to those who support our economy through mining.
“How can a town attract nurses, teachers and policemen when their pay would not even cover the rent? How many teachers get paid $3000 a week?”
Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said urgent action was needed to deal with rising housing costs in mining regions, particularly those like Moranbah that were directly in the firing line of massive rental and housing price hikes.
“We need to see some action from either the Gillard or Bligh Labor governments on this issue because it’s hurting the locals,” Mr Christensen said.
“The fact we’ve got a federal housing affordability funding program that specifically excludes Bowen Basin mining towns but allows funding to go to the Gold Coast is just another sign that they are out of touch with regional Australia’s needs.”
This government has to learn that the regions where the wealth and development is happening is where money from these regional funding programs must go. This situation is not only causing a housing shortage but causing hardship for many lower income families who may have no choice but to pay these high rents.