Renewal SA is seeking partners to develop up to 10 homes for healthcare, law enforcement and education workers in Port Lincoln through a new opportunity led by its Office for Regional Housing.
Guaranteed rental agreements for new houses, combined with financial contributions from Renewal SA towards the cost of enabling infrastructure to boost further land supply are among the benefits on offer.
Developers are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to build the homes on a leaseback arrangement with the South Australian Government, as an extension of its Regional Key Worker Housing Scheme.
They will be asked to finance and construct the homes to specifications set by Renewal SA and incentivised to boost land supply by way of capital contributions towards the cost of roads and essential services infrastructure.
Capital contributions will be capped at $50,000 per additional allotment created, and at $1 million in total.
Matt Hunt, Director of the Office for Regional Housing said the proven delivery model was designed to build confidence in regional housing investment while offering stable returns.
“Earlier this year we launched a trial campaign in Port Pirie under the same terms, and it far exceeded our expectations,” Mr Hunt said.
“The successful proponent committed to building 10 houses and also signed on to create an additional 42 land allotments for private sale, significantly increasing construction opportunities in the area.
“Our development partner in Port Pirie will receive the full $1 million contribution from Renewal SA through a development deed towards the cost of enabling infrastructure to further boost land supply.”
Mr Hunt said the initiative was part of a broader plan to stimulate developer-led private investment in key worker housing, similar to federal programs supporting defence housing.
“There are well-established government initiatives building homes in partnership with the private market for people working in defence,” he said.
“This is essentially what we’re working to build here.”
To receive the full $1 million contribution, a developer must commit to delivering at least 20 additional serviced land allotments near the 10 completed homes.
Developers who can deliver even more allotments will have a greater chance of success.
“By offering additional financial contributions to help with the cost of creating these allotments, we hope to encourage further development and compound residential housing growth within the town,” Mr Hunt said.
“One of the biggest development costs in the regions is getting land ready to build on, which can be a significant deterrent for projects to get off the ground. That’s what we’re looking to fix.”
Port Lincoln was identified by the Office for Regional Housing as a priority location for the opportunity.
“Port Lincoln is a crucial hub for industry, retail and services in the lower Eyre Peninsula,” Mr Hunt said.
“Demand for housing to support the city’s growth is outstripping supply, but we know there are significant financial factors holding back development.
“This initiative will deliver high-quality new housing to help attract and retain essential service workers and also bring much-needed supply of shovel-ready land to market to support further construction.”
Today’s announcement comes as the final touches are being put on the last of 30 key worker homes the Office for Regional Housing is delivering across regional South Australia.
Twenty-four homes are now occupied by key workers in Port Augusta, Mount Gambier, Renmark, Moonta Bay and Kadina, with the final six nearing completion in Ceduna.
Mr Hunt said the scheme had been successful, but it was time for government to step back and allow the private sector to lead future development where possible.
“We’re here to help facilitate investment and identify what’s needed in the regions, but ultimately we want to support the private market in leading this kind of development work,” he said.
The Office for Regional Housing was established in 2023 to increase the supply of quality, affordable homes in the regions, improving economic growth and quality of life.
This EOI aims to identify one or more developers with the expertise and financial capacity to deliver the best outcome for the project.
Submissions close at 5pm ACDT on Thursday 11 December 2025.