- The Crisafulli Government is delivering $155 million to unlock almost 20,000 homes in Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley region.
- Residential Activation Fund has unlocked more than 100,000 places to call home for Queenslanders in less than 18 months.
- The Crisafulli Government is building Queensland’s future after a decade of decline under Labor saw Queenslanders locked out of the housing market as vacancy rates plummeted to record-lows.
The Crisafulli Government is continuing to unlock housing supply quickly across Queensland, with the next round of the Residential Activation Fund set to accelerate more than 19,800 new homes in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.
The latest projects will deliver the critical trunk infrastructure needed to unlock land for residential development, helping deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders, after Labor’s Housing Crisis shut Queenslanders out.
First, a $145 million investment in Toowoomba Regional Council, the largest single grant in this next round, will deliver the Southern Water Treatment Plant in the Toowoomba Region, a new trunk water treatment facility, reservoir, booster pump station and trunk water mains to service the city’s southern and south-western growth corridors, including Westbrook, Drayton, Wellcamp, Mount Rascal, Kearneys Spring and Middle Ridge.
The project is expected to unlock at least 17,000 new residential lots, with capacity to support even more homes into the future.
Secondly, the Crisafulli Government is also backing road upgrades at Woodchester Estate in Gatton with $9.8 million, which will deliver essential roadworks, gully crossings and associated stormwater and electrical infrastructure, unlocking more than 2,800 lots.
The Residential Activation Fund is a key pillar of the Crisafulli Government’s plan to unlock housing supply by investing in enabling infrastructure that brings forward new residential development across Queensland, helping ease the Housing Crisis the Government inherited.
Delivering more supply through the Crisafulli Government’s Residential Activation Fund not only provides more rental availability, but it opens the door to home ownership for more Queenslanders.
The award-winning program has now unlocked capacity for more than 100,000 homes statewide, helping deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders.
The Residential Activation Fund is just one of the Crisafulli Government’s range of initiatives delivering a place to call home for more Queenslanders, including:
- More than $2 billion in joint Federal and State funding to unlock 51,000 homes, including 20,000 for first home buyers.
- Releasing underutilised State land for housing under the landmark Land Activation Program.
- Relief for first homeowners with $30,000 First Home Owner Grants continuing and locked into the Budget.
- Supporting first home buyers by removing stamp duty on new builds.
- Introducing a nation-leading Boost to Buy shared equity scheme to help reduce the deposit gap, with half of the up to 2,000 places reserved for regional Queenslanders.
- Increasing rental availability by lifting subletting restrictions for homebuyers receiving grants and concessions.
- Delivering 1 million homes, including a record pipeline of 53,500 social and community homes by 2044.
Premier David Crisafulli said the Government was unlocking home ownership for more Queenslanders.
“We made a commitment we’d do everything we could to deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders and that’s what this is all about,” Premier Crisafulli said.
“For too long in this State, the dream of home ownership has been a nightmare, but we’re making the home ownership dream a reality for more Queenslanders.
“This is a significant step in the right direction for Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley and it’s part of our plan to build Queensland’s future.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie said the investment was a clear demonstration of Crisafulli Government’s commitment to building Queensland’s future with a place to call home for more Queenslanders.
“After a decade of decline under Labor, we’re getting on with the job of delivering the infrastructure needed to unlock new housing opportunities across the State,” the Deputy Premier said.
“The Crisafulli Government’s award-winning Residential Activation Fund is pulling every lever to increase housing supply, because you can’t build homes without the roads, water and sewerage infrastructure to support them.
“These projects will unlock almost 20,000 more homes for Queenslanders while supporting growing communities in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.
“The Residential Activation Fund has now unlocked more than 100,000 homes across Queensland, demonstrating exactly what’s possible when government partners with councils, landowners and developers to remove barriers to housing.
“In less than 18 months, the Crisafulli Government has unlocked more than 100,000 new places to call home after Labor’s decade of decline, which saw housing lot approvals slump by 29 per cent, leading to record-low rental vacancy rates, a skyrocketing social housing waitlist and the lowest home ownership rate in the country.
“Availability equals affordability and by ensuring supply is unlocked, while also delivering a record number of social and affordable homes and support for first homebuyers, we’re delivering a place to call home for more Queenslanders, and the fresh start we promised them.”
Treasurer, Minister for Home Ownership and Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki said the doubling of Round 2 of Residential Activation Fund in the 2026-27 Budget was accelerating the removal of infrastructure barriers that had slowed housing development across the region.
“By investing in critical water infrastructure now, we’re creating the conditions for more homes, giving more young people the chance to become homeowners and build their future here in the Darling Downs,” Mr Janetzki said.
Member for Condamine Pat Weir said the investment was the sort of practical investment the growing region needed to unlock new housing opportunities and give families more choice about where they lived.
“By delivering the critical water infrastructure first, the Crisafulli Government is removing one of the biggest barriers to building new homes across communities including Westbrook, Wellcamp and Drayton,” Mr Weir said.
“After years of Labor failing to plan for growth, we’re getting on with the job of investing in the infrastructure that will support thousands of new homes and strengthen our regional communities for decades to come.”
Member for Lockyer Jim McDonald said the project would strengthen water security and support continued growth across communities in the Lockyer region.
“The Crisafulli Government is investing in the infrastructure that unlocks housing, supports local jobs and gives families confidence that our region is planning for the future,” Mr McDonald said.
Member for Toowoomba North Trevor Watts said the investment would ensure Toowoomba was ready to accommodate future growth while delivering the essential infrastructure communities needed.
“This investment will help unlock thousands of new homes while ensuring families have the reliable water infrastructure they need as our region continues to grow,” Mr Watts said.
Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Geoff McDonald said this was a landmark moment for the Toowoomba Region and a transformational investment in our future.
“This funding is about much more than water infrastructure. It’s about creating the foundations for new communities, new neighbourhoods, new jobs and new opportunities for generations of Queenslanders,” Mayor McDonald said.
“The Toowoomba Region is one of Queensland’s great regional success stories. People are choosing to live here, businesses are choosing to invest here, and families are choosing to build their futures here.
“The Southern Water Treatment Plant is exactly that type of region-shaping infrastructure. It will unlock the capacity needed to support up to 33,000 future homes across our Region and help ensure Toowoomba remains one of Queensland’s most liveable and prosperous regional centres.”
