Housing affordability, pressure on Queensland’s health system and the contribution of local seniors have been among the major issues highlighted by Ipswich MP Jennifer Howard as a busy month of community events gets underway.
Speaking on West Bremer Radio’s State of Play, Ms Howard said housing remained the number one issue she was hearing about across the community, with older renters among those she was particularly concerned about.
The Ipswich MP also reflected on several major community anniversaries, Queensland Youth Parliament, local sporting celebrations and the work of organisations supporting vulnerable people across the region.
Housing affordability remains major concern
Ms Howard said housing affordability continued to dominate conversations with residents, particularly as rental pressures affected older Queenslanders.
She said people aged 65 and over who relied on the aged pension while renting were facing particularly difficult circumstances.
“People 65 and older on the aged care pension who are renting are in dire straits out there,” Ms Howard said.
“It’s something that I’m increasingly concerned about and doing a bit of work on around that to help support them.”
The Queensland Labor Opposition has been holding housing affordability forums across the state, including an Ipswich forum on September 8.
Ms Howard said the local event attracted a strong turnout and provided residents with an opportunity to speak directly about the challenges they were experiencing.
“I was so proud of Ipswich locals because they asked some excellent questions that really, really struck to the heart of the problems we’re having,” she said.
Ms Howard said the feedback would help the Opposition develop its future housing policies.
“Opposition isn’t just about holding the government to account,” she said.
“It’s also about being proactive and formulating a good platform to go to the next election.”
SeniorNet celebrates 30 years
October’s Seniors Month celebrations come as the SeniorNet Association marks its 30th anniversary, with Ms Howard praising the organisation for helping older residents keep pace with major changes in technology.
She said improving digital literacy had helped seniors remain socially connected, access information and entertainment and better understand online risks.
“Imagine what they’re having to learn now with AI and all of these sorts of things,” she said.
“It’s just a constantly changing space, isn’t it, the world of technology?”
Ms Howard said those skills had become particularly important in protecting older residents from scams.
“It’s also helped protect a lot of seniors in our community from scams just by being computer literate and understanding how the internet works,” she said.
“It’s really made a huge contribution.”
Ms Howard and Bundamba MP Lance McCallum have also held a Seniors Month morning tea as part of activities recognising older residents across the region.
Ipswich represented at Youth Parliament
At the other end of the age spectrum, Ipswich was represented at the latest Queensland Youth Parliament by Claire Jenkins, a student from the Y School in Ipswich.
Ms Howard described Claire as an impressive young woman and said she had enjoyed supporting her throughout the Youth Parliament program.
Participants took their seats in Parliament last week, with Ms Howard also getting involved by chairing one of the sessions as Deputy Speaker.
“It’s just great to see young people stepping up and developing leadership skills, their debating skills, having their voices heard,” she said.
“Lovely to be a part of it.”
Community milestones celebrated
The past month has also brought a string of significant anniversaries across Ipswich.
Ms Howard attended events marking 40 years of child protection, as well as the 140th anniversary of the United Welsh Church building at Blackstone.
She said the Blackstone celebration showcased the rich history associated with the building, with the Cambrian Choir performing as part of the occasion.
“It was beautiful,” Ms Howard said.
Ipswich Hockey has also held its 2026 gala as local sporting clubs move into their end-of-season celebrations.
Ms Howard, who is a patron of Ipswich Hockey, admitted she had never been a player herself but had developed a strong appreciation for the sport through her involvement with the organisation.
“I really want to thank Ipswich Hockey for the great work they do supporting players, but also including me in a lot of these events,” she said.
She said being involved had given her a greater appreciation of the strong sense of connection created through local sport.
Domestic Violence Action Centre marks 30 years
Another significant anniversary will be recognised this weekend when the Domestic Violence Action Centre marks 30 years of service.
Ms Howard praised the organisation’s contribution to supporting vulnerable women across the community while acknowledging the difficult circumstances that made its work necessary.
“While it is marking 30 years, quite frankly, I’d rather we didn’t have to have that service,” she said.
“But it’s still important to acknowledge the work that they do and continue to do supporting vulnerable women.”
Other recent community events attended by the Ipswich MP have included National Police Remembrance Day, the Go Pink West Moreton Health Foundation breakfast, the Ipswich Garden Spectacular and a Legacy fundraiser.
Ms Howard also joined workers from Together Queensland during recent action supporting people working in child safety and youth justice.
She said frontline workers received a strong response from passing members of the public.
“There was a lot of toots and a lot of waves and a lot of support for our amazing frontline,” she said.
Howard questions government on housing and health
Turning to state politics, Ms Howard said she wanted to hear directly from Ipswich residents about their experiences with community safety, cost-of-living pressures, housing and health services.
She claimed new data showed home completions had fallen by two per cent over the previous year, putting Queensland further behind its housing target.
Ms Howard also raised concerns about emergency healthcare, claiming some Queenslanders were now facing waits of up to 70 hours.
“There’s been too many cuts, too many delays to health funding and Queensland patients are paying the price,” she said.
The comments were made in her capacity as a Labor Opposition MP and formed part of her criticism of the Crisafulli Government.
Mobile office at Top of Town
Residents will have an opportunity to raise those issues directly with Ms Howard when she holds her next mobile office on Saturday from 10am to noon outside Short Black Coffee in Ipswich’s Top of Town.
Ms Howard said she particularly wanted to hear how locals felt about cost of living, housing, community safety and other state issues.
She also offered an extra incentive for residents who stop by.
“I’m happy to buy a coffee for anyone who wants to come and have a chat to me,” she said.
“I’d love to hear from you.”
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