Council & Business
18 August, 2022
Housing challenges on the agenda for council
It’s no secret rental properties are hard to come by in the Central Goldfields Shire, but it’s an issue the local council hopes can be addressed in part through its pilot project, Welcome to Central Goldfields. Local businesses and community...
It’s no secret rental properties are hard to come by in the Central Goldfields Shire, but it’s an issue the local council hopes can be addressed in part through its pilot project, Welcome to Central Goldfields.
Local businesses and community leaders have been teaming up with council to help attract skilled migrants to Maryborough as part of the council-led project which will be filmed for a documentary.
The project is aimed at filling local job positions as part of a response to staff and skills shortages that are affecting businesses both locally and nationally, and ultimately finding ways to support relocation to the shire.
It will also be used by council as an opportunity to advocate at all levels of government on workforce and housing needs.
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Chris Meddows-Taylor said housing shortages had been the focus of community discussion since the Welcome to Central Goldfields project launch last month.
“We are well aware that like many other regional locations, we have a housing shortage here in the Central Goldfields,” he said.
“The reality is this is not something that can be changed overnight. Housing provision is a complex issue and there are no quick fix solutions available to local government.
“It’s an area council has been working to address for many years with housing challenges a focus of much of our current strategic work, we remain committed to tackling these issues in a sustainable way.
“When asked what the most important issues that influence finding and keeping staff in a recent council survey, local businesses told us lack of accommodation, limited housing options and difficulty finding rental properties were some of the biggest barriers.”
According to council, 67 percent of recently surveyed local businesses said finding staff was difficult or very difficult, and suitable housing and accommodation is a common issue when trying to recruit.
It’s something that’s currently on the agenda for the Maryborough District Health Service (MDHS) as the $100 million redevelopment of the Maryborough Hospital draws closer.
“Finding accommodation for new staff, particularly if they are relocating from overseas, can be a real barrier in being able to recruit,” MDHS CEO Nickola Allan said.
“To help rectify this, the health service has been supporting people in their relocation journey in relation to sourcing local housing options. This also makes it a more attractive proposition to become part of our community.
“This has been a focus for MDHS particularly for the past 18 months and will be a continued priority as the health service and our workforce continues to expand.
“We know what our staffing needs are right now, but this planning is about ensuring we know what will be required once our new hospital opens — this will require recruiting both internally and externally, so it’s important we are addressing our housing needs on all levels.”
Council is currently exploring options to address housing including:
• Liaising with State Government agencies and identifying where the shire may be eligible for a share of Victoria’s Big Housing Build provision of social and affordable housing.
• Continuing to undertake medium and long-term strategic planning to increase land availability for housing over time and facilitate residential development in appropriate areas.
• Central Victoria Primary Care Partnership has recently funded council to undertake a Social and Affordable Housing Needs Analysis which will provide data so council can secure a share of funding from state and federal programs.
Council has also recently supported the investigation into a rezoning and planning permit process for new residential allotments at 52 Ross Street, Maryborough, and a current planning permit application seeking to deliver 20 small affordable units in Maryborough will also be considered by council in the coming months.
For more information about the Welcome to Central Goldfields project or to get involved visit www.engage.cgoldshire.vic.gov.au/welcometocentralgoldfields