In Hervey Bay, three hours north of Brisbane, the markings of the state's housing crisis are hard to ignore.
The rental vacancy rate in Hervey Bay remains stubbornly low at 0.9 per cent.
Across Queensland it has not nudged past 1 per cent since 2021.
The lack of social housing has left support services almost buckling under the strain.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported that the number of Australians accessing government-funded homelessness support was increasing by an average of 1.4 per cent annually.
Between 2023 and 2024 AIHW found almost 280,100 Australians were assisted by homelessness support services.
Of those, 48,800 people reached out for help in Queensland — the third largest uptake in the country behind Victoria and New South Wales.