I mentioned previously that I am very skeptical about the Queensland Government's supposed budget crisis . I believe it has been greatly exaggerated by the Newman LNP Government as an overarching story to justify cuts which are essentially ideological. Recent events in the housing portfolio, dear to my own heart, have confirmed this suspicion. New housing minister Bruce Flegg, who has no history of involvement in housing issues, started his tenure by announcing that (shock! horror!) Queensland's public housing system is losing $2m per week, and is struggling to cope with the demand for housing from low income tenants. He proceeded to float a number of ideas for "improving" the system, most of which involved moving tenants on from their housing in some form. He advocated alternatives including shorter leases, compulsory transfers and asking single tenants in large housing to share if they are not willing to move. Then this week he has announced, without warning,
'Contemplating the teeming life of the shore, we have an uneasy sense of the communication of some universal truth that lies just beyond our grasp.' - Rachel Carson