Regional Worker Accommodation Fund in Australia

Deadline: 31-Jan-25

The Regional Development Victoria is pleased to launch the Victorian Government’s Regional Worker Accommodation Fund Round 2, to support investment in key worker housing and accommodation across Victoria’s rural and regional areas.

The Fund will support employers to attract and retain workers by enabling delivery of appropriate and affordable accommodation options. This will stimulate economic growth and support essential services to drive better opportunity, liveability and prosperity for those communities.

The Fund will support the delivery of infrastructure, housing, and accommodation across all Victorian rural and regional Local Government Areas.

Objectives

The Regional Worker Accommodation Fund aims to increase prosperity, opportunity, and liveability for regional communities. The fund will invest in housing, accommodation and related infrastructure that increases the supply of appropriate and affordable housing and accommodation for key workers and their families.
The desired outcomes for the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund are:
- a net increase in appropriate and affordable regional housing and accommodation for key workers and their families
- regional businesses and services are better able to meet their immediate and future staffing needs
- regional communities have improved access to services through attraction and retention of workers in sectors critical to their location
- a thriving, healthy and sustainable workforce, through safe, well-designed and environmentally sustainable projects that are integrated with their community that benefits the location.

Funding Information

Applicants may apply for grants between $150,000 and $5,000,000 (ex GST) per project.

What will be funded?

Funding will be provided for housing, accommodation and related infrastructure that increases the supply of appropriate and affordable housing and accommodation for key workers and their families. The projects must support job security, economic growth, and improved access to services across rural and regional Victoria.
Applicants will be asked to describe a proposed project that delivers a net increase of housing and accommodation for key workers, and provide evidence that it is needed in that location.
Funding will only be provided to support projects that would not have been delivered without government intervention.

Eligible Projects

To be eligible for funding, the project must be located in one of the 48 rural and regional Victorian local government areas, or 6 alpine resorts.
Applications to fund cross‑border projects which will benefit Victorian communities may also be considered on a case‑by‑case basis.
The specific type of accommodation can vary, but it must be safe, suitable, and affordable for the occupants.
Applicants will be asked to describe a proposed project that delivers a net increase of housing and accommodation for key workers, where there is a demonstrated and evidenced need in that location.
Projects may also service more than one employer or sector of key workers and their families in a particular location, i.e. the project will house the applicant’s key workers and their families but may also provide accommodation for key workers of other employers.

Eligibility Criteria

This Fund is open to applications from private and public sector entities that operate in Victoria.
Eligible applicants include:
- private sector organisations incorporated and registered with one of the following bodies.
  - Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
  - Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) or
  - Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC)
- TAFE institutions and universities
- pre‑school, primary and secondary schools
- hospitals or health care providers
- incorporated joint ventures
- public/private partnerships, through an incorporated entity
- a Victorian state government department, agency or service provider
Applicant organisations must:
- hold an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST)