The State Government is supporting regional businesses to attract and retain staff with new homes for thousands of regional Victorian workers and their families.

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan and Minister for Regional Development Gayle Tierney recently announced the first round of the $150 million Regional Worker Accommodation Fund – more than 20 projects which will boost affordable housing for workers and their families across Victoria.

Successful recipients:

• Rural Northwest Health in Hopetoun will be building 12 units to provide accommodation for healthcare workers.
• Buloke Shire Council will be building 14 units of accommodation for various workers across the Shire.
• Swan Hill Rural City Council in Robinvale will be building 22 units to provide accommodation for various workers.
• MCBG Karadoc Pty Ltd in Irymple will be building 28 units to provide housing for various workers.
• Kerang District Health will be building 8 units to provide accommodation for healthcare workers.

All successful projects across the state are shovelready and include co-investment from private businesses, industries or local community groups – unlocking nearly $250 million in combined private and public investment in new regional housing.

Unique

Each local housing project will be unique to the area – from self-contained units, worker villages, family dwellings, shared accommodation, and studios – and will be built to meet the skills needs of key sectors such as health, agriculture, education, manufacturing, and tourism.

The Regional Worker Accommodation Fund is part of the State Government’s record $45 billion investment in regional and rural Victoria since 2014 – making our regional and rural towns even better places live, work and visit.

The more than 20 projects supported through the first round of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund will be announced over the coming days. For more information, visit rdv.vic.gov.au/rwaf.

Affordable

“These projects will provide workers and their families with affordable housing right near where they work across the Mallee region, helping to attract and retain workers and keep the local economy thriving,” said Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes.  

This article appeared in  The Buloke Times, 18 October 2024.