Schrinner ditches Airbnb crackdown, blames federal budget

Plans to ban short-stay accommodation in some areas and require operators to apply for a permit have been scrapped, with the lord mayor in part blaming expected tax changes in the federal budget.

Adrian Schrinner made the announcement as Brisbane City Council met on Tuesday afternoon.

“We don’t want to add further uncertainty,” he told the chamber as Labor councillors groaned and booed.

“I can confirm today that we are not progressing with the permit scheme for short-term accommodation at this time.

“We want to make sure that there are more homes in the market, and adding uncertainty when investment already has a cloud over it is not the right thing to do at this time.”

Schrinner added public consultation had shown non-tourists, including those escaping domestic violence, were using short-stay accommodation, and platforms including Airbnb had developed better systems to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

The permit system was proposed in 2024 by a taskforce put together by Brisbane City Council.

In December, Schrinner announced that the plan to introduce permit requirements and a three-strike complaint system was going to public consultation.

About 500 home owners in lower-density areas would have likely been told their properties could no longer be used as short-stay accommodation under the proposal.

“This new law is about striking a balance between supporting tourism and economic activity and protecting the peace of our suburbs where people live,” Schrinner said at the time.

Official details of the federal budget had not been made public when the lord mayor made his announcement.

Weeks of media leaks suggested existing tax breaks for housing investors, including negative gearing and the capital gains discount, were likely to be reformed.

Council Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy was scathing of the announcement.

“The lord mayor’s total capitulation to the short-stay accommodation industry at the expense of renters just shows you who’s side he’s on,” he said in a statement.

“Considerable time and money have gone into these reforms, and it’s all been for nothing … the lord mayor is using the federal budget as cover to admit his failure.”

Susan Wheeldon, the Australia and New Zealand manager for Airbnb, said in a statement the decision vindicated its claims that it was not contributing to the housing crisis.

“This outcome reflects what research has consistently shown: short stays are not a primary driver of housing affordability challenges,” she said.

“With the Brisbane 2032 Olympics fast approaching, getting these policy settings right has never been more important.”

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