- Published:
- Monday 6 December 2021
The Andrews Labor Government is laying the groundwork for more housing in the Wimmera Southern Mallee as part of its commitment to address workforce shortages across the state.
Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green today visited the Stawell Housing Project on Sloane Street, which is now ready for development thanks to $500,000 from the Victorian Government’s Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund.
The funding has enabled the Northern Grampians Shire Council to provide essential infrastructure to unlock residential development, including water and sewage connections, footpaths, street lighting, drainage, and pedestrian crossing paths.
This essential infrastructure will enable developers to build more than 100 dwellings for Stawell’s growing population.
This investment complements the Labor Government’s $5 million Regional Workforce Pilots, which have been developed to address a shortage of housing across parts of regional and rural Victoria and boost employment.
Pilot sites are being developed in five regions across the state, including in the Grampians and the Wimmera Southern Mallee to support coordination between local, state and Commonwealth governments to explore accommodation options in the region.
The Victorian Government is also investing in a range of other housing initiatives in the region including a $500,000 investment from the Regional Recovery Fund to implement the Affordable Housing Solutions in the Wimmera Southern Mallee project.
This project will see the Wimmera Development Association and local government councils partner with Haven Home Safe, a registered housing association, to deliver improved housing solutions across the region.
Housing availability and access to workers are key priorities for the Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Partnership, and these initiatives will support the Regional Partnership’s ongoing work to grow regional jobs and improve population outcomes.
The Regional Workforce Pilots and other regional housing initiatives build on the Labor Government’s historic $5.3 billion Big Housing Build to construct more than 12,000 new secure and modern, social and affordable homes throughout the state – with $1.25 billion being invested in regional Victoria.
The investments build on the Government’s almost $30 billion investment in regional and rural Victoria since 2015. For more information about these initiatives visit rdv.vic.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green
“We understand that workforce and housing shortages are a real issue in our regional towns – that’s why we are investing in projects to help solve these issues and boost employment across the state.”
“The Stawell Housing project has been developed to tackle housing shortages and other barriers to regional workforce attraction, which are threatening economic recovery and growth.”