Regional handout not working, says LNP

PROPERTY Residential

The State Government’s $4000 offer to regional first-home owners has been labelled “paltry” and has failed to attract people to settle outside Queensland’s congested southeast, according to the LNP Opposition.

LNP Shadow Minister for Community Services and Housing Rosemary Menkens said the low take-up rate on the $4000 Regional First Home Owner grant proved the long-term Bligh and Labor government put tokenism ahead of real solutions.
“Convincing people to move to regional Queensland requires more than a meagre handout to assist them buy a home,” Mrs Menkens said.
“Yet again this lazy, long-term Bligh and Labor government has engaged in tokenism rather than attempting to find out the real issues confronting regional Queensland.
“Instead of consulting with people in regional communities, Anna Bligh prefers to work as a checkout chick in Brisbane or carry out the charade of running her government from Townsville.”
Mrs Menkens said the long-term Bligh and Labor government had so starved regional Queensland of funds and essential services, many people were driven to consider leaving rather than attracting others to settle there.
“This long-term Bligh government has an appalling record in providing services throughout the state, but the situation in regional Queensland is particularly acute,” she said.
“As I travel about regional Queensland, people constantly complain about the lack of essential services required to sustain and grow their communities.
“When regional communities lack adequate access to schools, hospitals, police and other essential services, a paltry $4000 first-home owner grant is unlikely to be sufficient incentive to convince people to move from an area where they have access to such services to one where they don’t.”