Three years after the establishment of Renewal SA’s Office for Regional Housing, more than 500 new housing outcomes are on the horizon, with plans underway to deliver even more.

Driven by a mix of direct construction, partnerships and incentives for private developers, the team, established in 2023 to boost the supply of quality and affordable homes in regional South Australia, has outlined both its progress to date and the strategy guiding its next steps.

“Between all of the various projects that we’ve led or funded or been a part of, there’s more than 500 housing outcomes in the pipeline,” says Matt Hunt, Director of the Office for Regional Housing.

“Whether that’s new build houses or new residential allotments, all the way across the state, these are projects that are coming up out of the ground or being created because of our involvement.”

In a video marking the Office for Regional Housing’s third anniversary, Mr Hunt says the team have developed innovative ways to stimulate housing growth in the regions, alongside direct construction programs delivering immediate benefits.

“The team has been really lucky to have been given flexibility to come up with new processes and come up with new ways of doing things and sufficient budget to get them up and running,” he says.

There are currently 504 housing outcomes in the pipeline driven by the Office for Regional Housing. They include:

• Thirty homes delivered through the Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme in Port Augusta, Mount Gambier, Copper Coast, Riverland, Moonta Bay and Ceduna.
• A further 10 key worker homes to be delivered in Bordertown and Kingscote.
• Two hundred and seventy‑five new homes and housing allotments unlocked through the Regional Housing Initiatives Program in Bordertown, Cowell, Cummins, Mount Gambier, Orroroo, Port Broughton, Kimba, Cleve, Loxton and Port Augusta.
• Seventy housing outcomes at Kloeden Reserve in Whyalla, including homes for key government workers, delivered through the structured sale of former Crown land.
• Fifty‑eight housing outcomes in Port Pirie arising from a developer‑led partnership, including homes for key workers and additional residential allotments.
• Twenty-five housing outcomes expected to be supported in Port Augusta and 30 in Port Lincoln through targeted Expressions of Interest processes in market.
• Six homes underway as part of a regional modular housing pilot project.

When it was established, the Office for Regional Housing prioritised two key programs, which remain central to the team’s work.

The Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme, designed as a pilot program to quickly inject quality homes for healthcare, education and law enforcement workers into the regions, has delivered on its objectives.

Under the program, 27 homes located in Port Augusta, Mount Gambier, Kadina, Renmark, Moonta Bay and Ceduna are now occupied by key workers, with construction nearing completion on a further three homes in Ceduna.

These homes are now in the process of being sold to private investors, supported by long‑term, government‑backed leases. The scheme is also being expanded to deliver ten additional homes in Bordertown and Kingscote.

The second initiative, the $10 million Regional Housing Initiatives Program, invited local councils, industry bodies, businesses and developers to seek investment to help progress existing development proposals that had struggled to get off the ground.

To date, 275 new homes and housing allotments have been unlocked in Bordertown, Cowell, Cummins, Mount Gambier, Orroroo, Port Broughton, Kimba, Cleve, Loxton and Port Augusta.

“Really what we’re trying to do is unlock economic growth,” Mr Hunt says.

The scheme provides up‑front investment into housing development projects, injecting cashflow and de‑risking early works such as water and power infrastructure and roads, which typically need to be funded before allotments can be sold or built on.

Critically, the program also provides Renewal SA with suitable allotments for future expansions of the Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme.

The balance of housing outcomes has been achieved through developer partnerships arising from the structured sale of government land and regionally targeted market processes in Port Pirie, Port Lincoln and Port Augusta.

Last year, Graycar Contractors was named the successful proponent of a targeted Expression of Interest in Port Pirie, securing leasing commitments for 10 new homes as well as capital contributions of $1 million towards civil construction after committing to the delivery of an additional 48 allotments.

After being named the successful proponent in August last year, Graycar has already commenced civil works on the development’s first stage of 20 allotments, progressing toward housing construction beginning later this year.

Two more regional towns will be offered similar opportunities in the coming months.

It is schemes like these that Mr Hunt says will play a pivotal role in the Office for Regional Housing’s work over the coming years, as it looks to continue growing housing supply in regional towns.

“For the next three years we’re looking to get bigger and better, but we’re also looking to get more efficient,” he says.

“We’re trying to limit the amount of housing we need to go and build directly ourselves and find more ways to enable the people who are already out there trying to get projects up and running.”

A previously announced pilot aimed at demonstrating modern, modular and transportable homes as a viable, high‑quality and cost‑effective option for worker housing in the regions is also expected to gain pace this year.

Mr Hunt says he is proud of what his team has achieved over the past three years, delivering benefits for regional communities and South Australians more broadly.