The Andrews Labor Government is backing businesses and industries in the state’s Great South Coast to attract critical workers through new investments to tackle housing shortages and other barriers to regional workforce attraction.
Labor Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney announced a $5 million investment in new Regional Workforce Pilots which would be strategically located across the state to help regional and rural communities attract the workers they need to grow.
While the local economy benefits from strong demand for housing filled by visitors, this has impacted the cost of market rents with increases of up to 10 per cent in some parts of the region in the 12 months to March.
The pilots will include $2.28 million towards initiatives within the Great South Coast including funding to establish new infrastructure to create more private residential development in the Simpson and Timboon townships.
The pilots will build on new Labor Government investments in initiatives along the Great South Coast designed to create more jobs and attract more workers to the region, through the Regional Recovery Fund.
This includes a $465,000 investment in the Koroit Caravan Park Workers Accommodation initiative which will support the Moyne Shire Council to provide five affordable housing units at the council-managed Koroit Caravan Park, with a focus on accommodation for short-term workers.
The Regional Workforce Pilots are part of the Government’s almost $30 billion investment in regional and rural Victoria since 2015. Other pilots will be located within Victoria’s Grampians region, the Alpine Shire in the north east, and at Robinvale in northern Victoria.
It builds on the 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.
For more information about the Regional Workforce Pilots visit rdv.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs.
Quote attributable to Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney
“Our support for the Great South Coast, where tourism is paramount to our state’s prosperity, will help create new opportunities for workers in this beautiful part of regional Victoria.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas
“We understand that workforce and housing shortages are a real issue in the Great South Coast – that’s why we are investing in these new initiatives with local government and businesses to boost employment across the state.”
Quote attributable to Great South Coast Regional Partnership Chair Lisa Dwyer
“The Great South Coast Regional Partnership has prioritised the need to address the mismatch between housing supply and demand for accommodation for key workers, as this impacts the ability to attract and retain them to the region.”