Katter’s Australian Party Member for Hill Shane Knuth has blasted years of government bureaucracy that has left 10 purpose-built residences at Cootharinga Gardens in Babinda sitting vacant while Queensland remains in the grip of a housing crisis.
Mr Knuth said he had lobbied consecutive governments, organised meetings with successive Housing Ministers and worked alongside the Babinda community and Cootharinga in an effort to find a solution.
“This should not be complicated,” Mr Knuth said.
“We have a housing crisis, we have 10 residences sitting empty in Babinda, and we have been told there are community housing providers willing to take them over.
“Yet somehow the Department has managed to turn what should be a straightforward solution into years of red tape, meetings and bureaucratic buck-passing.”
Mr Knuth said his office had been working on the issue since 2024 after concerns were raised by Fred Lizzio and Christine Norman from the Babinda Aged Care Association.
In September 2024, Mr Knuth organised a meeting with then Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon, attended by Mr Lizzio, where the Minister committed to helping find a solution.
Following the change of government, Mr Knuth immediately raised the issue with Housing Minister Sam O’Connor and organised another ministerial meeting in February 2025 involving representatives from Cootharinga and the Babinda community.
In the meeting, Cootharinga explained it was primarily a disability support provider and could not continue operating Cootharinga Gardens as a community housing provider, however Cootharinga had identified alternative community housing providers willing to take over the facility.
“Cootharinga wants a solution, Cairns Regional Council wants a solution, and the Babinda community want a solution.
The only thing that seems to be missing is a Department willing to get this sorted out,” Mr Knuth said.
“The elderly across Far North Queensland are desperately searching for somewhere affordable to live, yet we have 10 residences sitting empty because government bureaucracy apparently can’t work out how to get the paperwork done,” he said.
“We don’t need another two years of letters, meetings, excuses and finger-pointing.
We need elderly people in these homes.”
Mr Knuth has called on Housing Minister Sam O’Connor to intervene and order his Department to sit down at the same table with Cootharinga, Cairns Regional Council and representatives of the Babinda community.
“The Department needs to clearly spell out what the issue is and facilitate the transfer,” Mr Knuth said.
“Every day these homes remain empty during a housing crisis is another day this bureaucratic failure becomes harder to defend.”