Loans to help growers build small-scale rural workers’ accommodation

QRIDA Regional Area Manager for South East Queensland Brian Coe said providing accommodation for workers could give farm businesses a competitive edge with Australia’s low unemployment rate and rural housing shortage.

“The challenge of finding good workers in our tight labour market is compounded by the lack of rural rentals to house them,” he said.

“If growers have their own workers’ accommodation, it means they’ll have less reliance on a changing housing market to secure their workforce and they can mitigate a risk to their farm business.

“Offering accommodation can also sweeten the deal for prospective employees, increasing growers’ chances of attracting and retaining the best possible workers to help grow top-quality produce, while they save costs on employee training in the long-run.”

The Sustainability Loan eligible activity is part of the Queensland Government’s Rural Workers’ Accommodation Initiative which is a commitment to provide small-scale workers’ housing options to support the agricultural industry and local economies.

Brian said QRIDA’s friendly Regional Area Managers based across Queensland could answer any questions from growers about a Sustainability Loan.

“Wherever your primary production enterprise is located within the state, we have a Regional Area Manager nearby who can meet with you on-farm to discuss how a Sustainability Loan could benefit your operation,” he said.

To find out more about how you could make workers’ accommodation your next farm business project with a Sustainability Loan, visit QRIDA's Sustainability Loan page or call QRIDA on 1800 623 946.