SWAN Hill Rural City Council will create a comprehensive strategy action plan to address the housing crisis in Robinvale.
Councillors resolved unanimously to support the creation of an action plan on the back of a populations study last year which determined the approximate population of the township to be more than double the figure recorded in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census.
The Robinvale population determination report was published in July 2019 and presented to council and the Robinvale community on August 13 last year.
The report determined the approximate population of the Mallee township to be an estimated 7900 residents, a much larger figure than the 3359 recorded by the ABS.
Robinvale ward Cr Jade Benham moved a motion that council adopt and support the proposed actions for Robinvale population determination and Robinvale housing strategy, seconded by Cr Chris Jeffery.
“This has been a long process, there has been a lot of talk about when the public in Robinvale were going to see action being taken on the population study, so it’s great to see now we have the beginnings of a plan put in place, and the actions illustrated are all very positive,” Cr Benham said.
“Hopefully we will see to grow into something extraordinary.”
The proposed action plan will comprise two stages, with stage one including the distribution of the report to federal, state and local members, various shires, health services and community groups, calling for input on how to improve services in line with Robinvale’s actual population.
Stage two would include meetings with stakeholders and community representatives to discuss areas for development, meetings with federal and state members and extending an invitation to Premier Daniel Andrews to visit Robinvale to gain a first-hand understanding of the situation.
The Robinvale housing strategy, completed in August 2019, highlighted a number of issues in the local area, including a shortage of low-cost accommodation, shortage of high-quality short-term accommodation suitable for professionals, a shortage of temporary accommodation to suit transient workforce populations, a lack of accommodation style to meet the needs of diverse groups, and a lack of accommodation for specific industry workforce.
Council director development and planning Heather Green said working towards a solution for the accommodation crisis in Robinvale would be of “enormous benefit” to the community and allow some current residents to have “much-improved” living conditions.
“Lack of accommodation and housing has been identified as a major impediment for the Robinvale economy and prosperity,” Ms Green said.
“Council’s actions are intended to kick-start private development and demonstrate the viability of investing in real estate in the Robinvale area.”
