Release date: 16/02/23

The Malinauskas Labor Government has unveiled a suite of measures to address housing shortages in regional South Australia – including support to house skilled workers to meet the needs of country towns.

The new Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme aims to create a continuous pipeline of homes, and in the first instance, will facilitate the delivery of housing to attract and retain police, teachers and healthcare workers in key country areas.

A pilot program will be immediately rolled out to deliver approximately 30 homes for these key services across the Copper Coast, Riverland, Mount Gambier, Port Augusta and Ceduna.

Houses delivered under the scheme may be sold to private investors under long-term lease arrangements. The construction of these houses is expected to reduce pressure on the private rental market.

Following the delivery of the pilot program, there is scope for it to be expanded to other regions and be available to organisations seeking to secure long-term access to new, fit-for-purpose housing for their workers.

The scheme will be run by a newly established Office for Regional Housing, which will sit within Renewal SA.

The Office will work with local councils, regional businesses, builders, and investors to coordinate the scheme. In addition, the Office will work with these partners to help facilitate other housing projects that specifically contribute to key strategic and economic objectives, and reflective of the unique challenge faced across the state.

The Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017 have been amended to remove red tape associated with constructing or placing a temporary building or structure to be used as accommodation for key workers.

This gives the Minister for Planning the ability to designate broader kinds of work to be included in the regulation – which could include work associated with constructing replacement dwellings for those affected by the recent Riverland floods.

This amendment is in addition to the Government fast-tracking seasonal workers accommodation late last year.

These measures form part of the Government’s A Better Housing Future plan which comprises increasing land supply, bringing on housing projects more quickly, and implementing rental reforms.

For more information about the Office for Regional Housing visit: http://officeregionalhousing.sa.gov.au

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

We have a housing crisis in Adelaide, but in many parts of regional South Australia, rental vacancy rates are even tighter.

And that makes it even tougher for those communities to get the people and the skills they need to thrive.

Not every country town has the same needs.

This important work will be done in collaboration with each of these regional communities to ensure these measures are being rolled out in a sustainable way to address these individual needs into the long-term.

Attributable to Stephen Mullighan

South Australia’s regions contribute over $30 billion every year to the state’s economic prosperity across critical industries.

What we don’t want is for this growth to be hindered by a shortage of suitable housing, especially when it gets in the way of employers looking to fill job vacancies.

Attributable to Clare Scriven

Communities across regional South Australia have felt the full effect of housing challenges, especially when it comes to finding a home for much-needed skilled professionals.

The work being done by the new Office for Regional Housing will not only help us address these housing challenges, but will have flow-on benefits of addressing skills gaps.

Attributable to Nick Champion

We are committed to supporting regional South Australia and will continue to work to ensure that housing is not a barrier to unlocking the economic potential of the regions.

Working in partnership with local governments, regional employers, developers, this new office will help unlock a pipeline of housing supply that meets local market needs.

Attributable to LGA President Mayor Dean Johnson

There’s a significant pipeline of economic activity expected state-wide, and the only way to see this growth take off is by State and Local Government working together.

Many councils across the state have already been doing what they can to facilitate housing development through rate rebates, providing council-owned land for development, and in smaller townships even under-writing building contracts directly.

Expanding the role of Renewal SA is something we’ve called on to help bridge the gap between councils’ local knowledge of housing shortages and the commercial knowledge needed to make housing projects viable.”

“This coordinated approach is what’s needed to address housing challenges and workforce shortages, which is why we greatly welcome the State Government’s announcement today.”