Demolition is now underway on the first community title scheme to have achieved voluntary home buy-back as part of the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund (RHF), jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments.
The unit complex in Mill Street, Goodna, was significantly impacted by flooding in February 2022, and at high risk of future flooding.
All 20 homeowners of the unit complex accepted offers under the Voluntary Home Buy-Back program last year, with settlement reached in October 2023.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding and Melanie Marshall, daughter of former homeowner at Unit 3, prior to demolition getting underway.
The RHF, a jointly funded initiative delivered through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), was established following the catastrophic 2021-22 rainfall and flooding events.
Voluntary home buy-back was identified for properties that were the most severely impacted and at the greatest risk of future flooding.
Following identification for buy-back and offer acceptance by homeowners, the Mill Street properties and land were purchased by the Ipswich City Council using program funds.
94-year-old former unit owner, Neville van Sanden, and partner of Melanie’s mother who lived at unit 3, Morry Allan, outside the unit complex.
Voluntary Home Buy-Back in Ipswich
- These 20 units are just some of the 163 properties in Ipswich that have been bought back under the program so far.
- That is more than half of the nearly 300 homes in total earmarked to be purchased in Ipswich.
- Ipswich now has more than 500,000 square metres of additional green space for our community.
- That’s around 70 soccer fields of green space that will no longer be zoned for homes.
- It includes 79 homes in Goodna, 14 in Bundamba, 12 in North Booval, and more in suburbs including East Ipswich, West Ipswich, and Karalee.
Federal Member for Oxley, the Hon Milton Dick MP said Ipswich led the way in responding to the 2022 floods that left such devastation across Ipswich and the South-East.
“This is another milestone in our community, which is all about future-proofing our communities against flooding and natural disasters,” Mr Dick said.
“I am proud to have fought to ensure our local community got its fair share of support, and it’s great to see this progress continue in the Goodna community.”
The first unit is reduced to rubble in just 3 minutes at 25 Mill Street in Goodna.
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Nikki Boyd said she was delighted that the unit owners here in Mill Street, Goodna, have been able to move on, free from the risk of future flooding.
“To date, 629 homes have settled under the program out of the 684 offers which have been accepted by homeowners,” Minister Boyd said.
“398 of these properties have already been demolished or relocated across 8 local government areas, ensuring hundreds of families are out of harm’s way.
“Work is also continuing with homeowners registered for Resilient Retrofit or Home Raise under the Resilient Homes Fund. These programs are helping Queenslanders to make their homes as flood resilient as possible.”
All 20 homes in the unit complex reached settlement in October 2023.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the complex will now be demolished and the land re-zoned to an appropriate, non-occupied use, such as green space, by council.
“Goodna was particularly hard hit in the 2022 floods, and I am relieved that the former owners of this Mill Street unit complex have received the support they needed to move on,” Mayor Harding said.
“Ipswich City Council has embraced the Voluntary Home Buy-Back Program and worked closely with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority to see more than 160 Ipswich families move on from flood impacted properties.
“Today we’ve seen the first unit block demolished as part of the Resilient Homes Fund which is a huge milestone for the buy-back program and for the flood resilience of our city.”
Registrations for the Resilient Homes Fund have now closed. For more information about the Resilient Homes Fund, visit www.qld.gov.au/resilienthomes
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority is managing the Voluntary Home Buy-Back program, while the Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works is managing the Home Raising and Resilient Retrofit programs under the Resilient Homes Fund.