Why key Geelong workers can’t access affordable housing

Accommodation woes facing the Barwon South-West region have been laid bare in an investigation into housing affordability.

Accommodation woes facing the Barwon South-West region have been laid bare to an investigation into housing affordability.

Regional Development Australia Barwon South West has detailed the region’s housing challenges in a submission to a federal Parliamentary inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia.

The submission said housing affordability is an issue throughout Barwon South-West with particular examples in municipalities including the Surf Coast Shire and Colac Otway Shire.

“This is affecting hospitality workers, farm workers, health and service sector workers and workers employed on the construction of wind farms,” the submission said.

According to Regional Development Australia Barwon South West, issues and barriers to key workers accessing suitable, affordable housing included availability and cost of housing; a need for quality housing options for seasonal workers; a shortage of permanent rentals; and unregulated growth in short term rental accommodation.

The submission noted the Great South Coast and Barwon regions had a number of key employment opportunities linked to the significant growth in agricultural and renewable energy industries.

“These are supplements to the already established and growing tourism industry,” it said. “There are a number of factors at play that are creating constraints to the availability of key worker housing within the region.

“In coastal areas, the supply of existing and new housing stock is dominated by owners of holiday homes and investors in the short‐stay accommodation market.

“In other locations across the region, housing development activity is very low due to the small size of local housing markets and other constraints.”

Regional Development Australia Barwon South West made multiple recommendations in its submission, including:

THAT new taxes, or changes to current taxation policy, at all levels of government be properly interrogated to ensure that there are no unintended negative consequences to the already critical housing supply issue;

UNDERTAKE an examination into the capacity for councils to raise revenues and investigate innovative mechanisms that will support smaller regional and rural councils to fund essential works that deliver social, affordable and key worker housing; and,

IDENTIFY and assess the impact of short‐term rental accommodation on housing affordability and supply.

The inquiry committee intends to report early this year.

Council’s bold plan to act on housing crisis

Surf Coast councillors have voted to enter into uncharted territory under its new Affordable Accommodation Action Plan 2022, after claiming the market had “failed” the region.

The 12 month program will form a new stream of work for council which will support the roll out of the state government’s Big Housing Build program for social and affordable housing as well as address the key worker accommodation crisis which was declared in May 2021.

Despite fielding more requests for assistance than ever before, councillor Paul Barker voted against being drawn into housing policy.

“Interfering in housing affordability is not what government should be doing,” he said.

“You may think it is helpful implementing this, and a phrase I’d love everyone to remember is that you never understand unintended consequences of government control.

Surf Coast Shire council is attempting to address housing affordability. Picture: Peter Ristevski

“I think it is likely that we are going to be spending money on a new venture that we don’t have experience in.”

During the Tuesday meeting Mr Barker suggested council should instead look into increasing accommodation density.

“It is not possible to provide affordable housing in a high demand area in a low density environment,” he said.

Councillor Heather Wellington also shared her concerns for the Shire’s rural towns being inundated by a number of dwellings per property.

“Housing policy is not really our core business … I hope we don’t become a housing authority,” she said.

The plan which was adopted at the meeting will be funded by two $60,000 allocations made in the annual budget for the Key Worker Accommodation Crisis and Strategic Focus Officer Allowance.

The plan will allow councillors to further explore the land use arrangement at 2 Fraser Drive, Aireys Inlet in hopes of facilitating the development of social and affordable housing.

It comes after councillors voted in December to extend camping limits on private property from 28 to 120 days in response to the worker shortages.

“Doing nothing is a poor option and in this case we have a genuine crisis that is effecting people in some horrible ways,” Councillor Mike Bodsworth said.

Councillor Gary Allen explained the plan will harness councils existing capabilities and build on future funding opportunities.

“The development of the affordable accommodation act is timely as it is obvious to all of us the significant economical and social impact this will have if it is not addressed,” he said.

“The market has failed, it doesn’t always solve problems and it has failed to provide workers in our community and that is the real problem.”

Originally published as Why key Geelong workers can’t access affordable housing