A prominent Mount Gambier building firm has been appointed to deliver a housing boost for key workers in the Blue Lake city.
The State Government announced today that its Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme has taken a critical step forward, with local builder Empak Homes to deliver the project.
The builders will be charged with delivering the first homes under the scheme, which aims to create housing opportunities to attract and retain vital, skilled workers in country communities.
Empak will deliver four homes in Mount Gambier after planning approval was secured late last year. The third-generation family-owned business, which employs 17 people, brings local experience to the project, having delivered multiple South Australian Housing Authority (SAHA) homes for the Limestone Coast in recent years.
Work is anticipated to commence in early to mid-2024, with houses ready for workers to move in during 2025.
The two-and-three-bedroom homes will house essential workers like teachers, police officers, and healthcare workers and help to ease pressure on local housing markets.
Upon completion, the properties will be leased to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport’s Government Employee Housing (GEH) program, which coordinates housing arrangements for government agency workers in regional South Australia.
As more homes are delivered, the Office for Regional Housing expects to expand its focus on more regional areas.
The Office for Regional Housing was established as part of the Government’s A Better Housing Future initiative. The initiative aims to improve housing affordability and rental capacity in the state.
Through the plan, the government has implemented significant reforms to release record amounts of land, cut taxes for home buyers, turnaround the long-term decline in public housing, streamline planning approvals, and reform the rental market to deliver new benefits to tenants.
Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin welcomed the announcement.
“We are excited to see that this scheme is going to deliver new homes in Mount Gambier for key workers which will help us to attract and retain workers, while also freeing up homes in the private rental market,” she said.
“We are pleased to see practical outcomes delivered on the ground using the skills and knowledge of a local builder.”
Minister for Housing and Urban Development Nick Champion said the successful builders bring with them local knowledge of their regions as well as trade-bases and are best placed to deliver housing outcomes suited to their communities.
“We want our regions to attract key workers and give them a place to live as they provide vital services to the region,” he said.
“Providing this new housing not only helps to deliver quality government services in regional South Australia, but it also frees up other housing stock for individuals, and private sector businesses to accommodate their growing workforce needs.
Housing Industry Australia executive director Stephen Knight said the addition of new homes in South Australia’s regions will help replenish housing stock and draw key workers to the region.
“It will also provide opportunities for apprentices and trainees, both young men and women who are keen to stay in their hometowns,” he said.
“If local building businesses and suppliers can see a consistent pipeline of work ahead, they will have the confidence to invest in their future workforce.”
