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Wed 1 Nov 2023

GrainGrowers Regional Housing Policy

Insufficient regional housing is impacting the ability of regional Australia to attract and retain key workers.

Insufficient regional housing is impacting the ability of regional Australia to attract and retain key workers.

Shortages of appropriate and affordable housing limits businesses from filling roles with people outside of their region, preventing employers from drawing on the widest possible pool of potential employees.

Across regional Australia, vacancy rates are at record lows, with rents surging 12.5 per cent over the past year, and escalating rates of homelessness. There are reports of essential workers having to live in motels, and or even sleeping in caravans or tents.

In addition to directly impacting grain farm businesses, this is also contributing to shortages of key workers who provide critical services for the broader community such as doctors, nurses, mechanics, teachers and childcare workers.

There are many factors contributing to the current regional housing shortage that will need to be addressed to improve access to housing for key workers in regional Australia.

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Policy & Research / Workforce

GrainGrowers Supports:

  • Increased coordination at all levels of government to accelerate regional housing supply and address key worker shortages both within the grain industry as well as the broader community.
  • The development of targeted policy responses that reflect the unique requirements of agriculture and local regional communities.
  • A cohesive and long-term national strategic framework to address regional housing shortages.
  • Innovative funding models to facilitate government and industry collaboration to develop housing for key workers.
  • Increased flexibility to develop on-farm accommodation.
GrainGrowers Recognises:
  • Insufficient regional housing is impacting the ability of regional Australia to attract and retain key workers.
  • Shortages of appropriate and affordable housing limits businesses from filling roles with people outside of their region, preventing employers from drawing on the widest possible pool of potential employees.
  • Smaller regional and rural towns often face significant market failure inhibiting the development of additional housing stock.
  • All levels of government play a role in addressing regional housing shortages.
  • Increased government investment is required to address acute housing needs as well as increase the supply of housing long term.
  • Unregulated short-term rentals can reduce housing stock for key workers in some rural and regional towns.
  • Increased extreme climatic events such as bushfires and floods are exacerbating regional housing shortages.
  • Innovative funding models can incentivise private sector involvement in new housing developments.
  • Local communities should be involved in decision making for housing developments where possible.
GrainGrowers Seeks:

1. Targeted grants schemes and programs that supports the implementation of key worker housing in regional Australia.

2. Incentives for industry to invest in regional housing projects.

3. Targeted funding to improve infrastructure such as water, roads and sewerage in regional areas to remove barriers for housing developments.

4. All levels of government to audit surplus government land that can be utilised for housing.

5. Funding to address critical construction and building skills gaps that act to supress development activity in some regions to boost housing supply and improve housing outcomes.

6. Comprehensive national data collection on regional housing to inform future policy development.

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