RCV calls for help on rural housing

VICTORIA’S rural areas need urgent and targeted measures to help tackle the housing crisis, according to a new report.

Rural Councils Victoria (RCV) has released its five-point Rural Housing Action Plan, which calls on the federal and state governments to make the construction of new homes in rural Victoria easier and more efficient.

Three of G21’s member councils are RCV members: Borough of Queenscliffe and Golden Plains Shire in the Rural South Central Region; and Colac Otway Shire in the Rural South-West Region.

The action plan’s five points are:

• A Rural Enabling Infrastructure Initiative to create connections to sewerage, water and energy
• A Council Developer Support and Risk Mitigation program, with bridging funds to help councils develop homes
• Rural Housing Expertise and Capacity Building, including project implementation and oversight
• Rural Housing Policy Reform to streamline housing approvals, and
• Targeted Rural Housing Solutions with specific funding to address the unique housing needs of rural communities.

“Rural isn’t the same as regional and the vast majority of the 152,000 homes recently announced for regional and rural Victoria will go to regional cities,” RCV chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said.

“What rural Victoria needs is a targeted approach with dedicated supports to enable development in rural communities.”

RCV commissioned the Rural Victoria Housing Blueprint, authored by SGS Economics & Planning, which found rural Victoria needed 87,400 new homes by 2036.

The blueprint tested the idea of converting house lots into multi-unit properties to increase housing supply, but found that of 38 Victorian rural councils, Queenscliff and the Surf Coast were two of only three municipalities where it would be feasible under the present market conditions.

“Elsewhere, the feasibility gap is very sizeable and is unlikely to be bridged by changes to standard development taxes and charges,” the blueprint states.

“Interventions that are more far-reaching are likely to be required to boost housing supply in rural areas to enable skills attraction and retention, as well as meeting the needs of an ageing population.”

This research also found the failure to provide the extra homes could result in annual Gross Regional Product losses across rural Victoria of between $200 million and $1 billion.

Cr Brown said some rural councils were already taking steps to build more homes, but government support was needed.

“It’s not all about governments providing money, though financial support is part of the solution.

“We need governments to help councils by making it easier for development to occur in rural communities.

“Through strategic financial support for the Rural Housing Action Plan, rural housing markets can be revitalised, economic stability promoted, and overall quality of life in rural communities enhanced.”