In what could be a sign of the times, a seasonal worker accommodation hub is being built at a north-west Victorian caravan park to help address the labour shortage on farms.
The ABC reports that the development at the Palms Caravan Park in Mildura will provide accommodation for up to 320 seasonal workers, many of who come from overseas.
There cabins will be 40 self-contained cabins which will have two ensuites, a kitchenette, and shared cooking, dining and recreation spaces.
Developer John Pearce told the ABC that the seasonal worker accommodation would be built in a new area, separate from the rest of the caravan park.
More accommodation is needed for agricultural workers. PIC: Pexels
Under the model, the caravan park will also organise the transportation of workers to and from work, as well as manage their visa requirements, which would ease pressure on farmers.
“Everything they need to make them comfortable is there,” said developer John Pearce.
He said the facility would be ‘virtually identical’ to the one built in Paringa, South Australia, that was initially intended to accommodate backpackers who were camping around town.
“Within a year it quickly evolved into a home for the Pacific Islanders there,” he said.
And Mr Pearce told the ABC that initial concerns about how the wider community would react proved unfounded.
He said there had been ‘nothing but praise for it’.
Independent member for Mildura, Ali Cupper, told the ABC that agriculture in Sunraysia generates more than $1.13 billion, but the region was routinely six or seven thousand beds short in housing.
She says this model lowered the reputational risk of overcrowding in boarding houses that discouraged people from coming to the region.
Ms Cupper told the ABC there was potential for the model to be scaled up and expanded.
“We have a real shot at building those stocks, so we don’t continue to grapple with this issue that we only ever seem to talk about but never seem to resolve, which is the lack of suitable accommodation,” he said.
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Yes i do as workers need a roof over their heads and farmers are doing it tough trying to get there produce to market