Premier Peter Malinauskas announces prefabricated home plan to tackle housing crisis

In an attempt to solve the state’s housing crisis and deliver more homes faster, Premier Peter Malinauskas has unveiled a new Ikea like plan.

Announcing a tender for 120 homes in a pilot project, Mr Malinauskas said prefabricated housing was an innovative way to deliver more homes faster. Picture: Supplied

An Ikea-like solution to the housing crisis is being pushed by Premier Peter Malinauskas as he unveils a plan for turnkey homes using prefabricated construction methods.

Announcing a tender for 120 homes in a pilot project, Mr Malinauskas said prefabricated housing was an innovative way to deliver more homes faster.

Floors, walls, roof panels and other key components will be manufactured off the building site before being assembled in locations across the state.

Mr Malinauskas announced the tender, expected to launch in July, ahead of an industry summit on Thursday aimed at accelerating the adoption of prefabricated building methods.

“Prefabricated housing provides an opportunity to deliver more high-quality homes to more South Australians more quickly,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“This innovative pilot is just one way we can work with industry to solve the challenges in housing.”

The pilot plan includes acquiring six modular homes from three builders, designed and constructed according to specifications from state government urban development agency Renewal SA.

Initially, metropolitan Adelaide display homes will be built, then showcased to councils, investors, lenders, planners and government agencies with regional operations.

Renewal SA plans to relocate the homes to regional towns, as part of an expansion of a housing scheme for key workers.

The pilot scheme, if successful, could pave the way for a larger procurement of prefabricated housing.

Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia and Housing spokeswoman Michelle Lensink recently revealed plans to axe stamp duty for first-home buyers. Picture: Dean Martin

The industry summit, backed by policy group AMPLIFY, will include a session focusing on building a workforce to expand the use of prefabricated housing.

AMPLIFY chairman Paul Bassat said the construction method had a key role in urgently boosting housing supply.

“We believe that governments across Australia can drive significant growth in the number of prefab homes by using their procurement power, modernising regulations and by creating the jobs of the future for this industry,” he said.

“This will lead to homes being built more quickly and cheaply than is the case with traditional construction techniques.”

Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia has accused Labor of treating the housing crisis “as a cash cow” by raking in almost $50,000 in stamp duty on a median-priced Adelaide home.

In his budget reply speech on Tuesday, Mr Tarzia vowed measures including axing stamp duty for first-home buyers on existing builds up to $1m and waiving a $192 mortgage registration fee.

“Our plan is bold: slash red tape, fast-track training of skilled apprentices, open more land for housing and reduce cost barriers for first-home buyers,” Mr Tarzia said.

“Stamp duty remains one of the most inefficient taxes there is. It’s time we got serious about stamp duty relief for first-home buyers.”

Originally published as Premier Peter Malinauskas announces prefabricated home plan to tackle housing crisis