Short Term Worker Accommodation
The Dubbo Regional Council Local Government Area continues to require significant housing and accommodation options as a result of the economic development of the Region. In particular large infrastructure projects including the Central West and Orana Renewable Energy Zone and the Australian Strategic Materials Toongi project; amongst others.
Understanding the nature, demand and opportunities for short-term worker accommodation is important to ensure policy and planning responses can adequately address potential implications for the Local Government Area.
COUNCIL'S ACTIONS
Dubbo Regional Council engaged industry consultants Delos Delta to undertake an analysis of short term worker accommodation requirements and to identify policy and other initiatives Council can undertake to ensure the Region can both capitalise from the pulse of investment and to ensure housing availability is not further unreasonably impacted.
A report and Short-Term Worker Accommodation Study was considered at Council’s Ordinary Meeting held on 23 March that identified potential actions and challenges to assist the Region moving forward.
Download a copy of the Council Report; Short-Term Worker Accommodation in the Local Government Area (PDF 328.1KB)
Download a copy of the Research Report; Analysis of Short-Term Worker Accommodation Needs (PDF 1.2MB)
MAJOR PROJECTS - ACCOMMODATION AND EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES
Council’s role is to encourage development in the right locations that have a positive and long-lasting legacy for our community, ensuring a balance between the growing need for major projects and the future of the Local Government Area.
Council consults with proponents of large-scale projects that are required to prepare an Accommodation and Employment Strategy as part of their State Significant Development Application approval. These Strategies are generally required to:
- Be prepared prior to the commencement of construction
- Be prepared in consultation with Council
- Propose measures to ensure this is sufficient accommodation for the workforce associated with the development
- Consider the cumulative impacts associated with other State Significant development projects in the area
- Investigate options for prioritising the employment of local workers for the construction and operation of the development, where feasible
- Include a program to monitor and review the effectiveness of the strategy over the life of the development, including regular monitoring and review during construction
To help encourage development in the right locations that have a positive and long-lasting legacy for our community, Council requires proponents to consider the following additional information as part of their Accommodation and Employment Strategy:
- Information about the project
- Demographic and socio-economic data, statistics and projections for the Local Government Area
- An analysis of employment numbers and their staging, timing, increase or decrease over time, and whether this coincides with peak demands for different types of accommodation in the region
- Identification of secured accommodation options
- An analysis of multiple accommodation options, with an analysis of why these options were or weren’t pursued further. Proponents must not rely entirely on motels, hotels or Airbnb accommodation, as this may negatively impact tourism and existing rental markets
- Existing and planned consultation with a range of accommodation providers
- Requirements for ongoing consultation with Council
- Practical solutions and ways to monitor and review the Strategy if accommodation isn’t available in the region
Council prefers accommodation to be provided within or in proximity to existing urban areas and villages to ensure they have a positive and long-lasting legacy for these communities. This approach would allow:
- Infrastructure to be appropriately converted and used for future and permanent residential accommodation
- Allow for the natural expansion of urban areas and villages after decommissioning of accommodation
- Ensure there are no unreasonable impacts to Council on extending infrastructure to service new development in unserviced areas; and
- Allow workers to integrate into the community rather than being isolated in a rural area, which provides appropriate structures to allow the Region to capture a percentage of the temporary workforce as permanent residents in the future.
In addition, there are also a number of varied opportunities within the Local Government Area for the re-use of existing buildings for the purposes of accommodation.
Last Edited: 13 Mar 2025