21 July 2023
JOINT STATEMENT
Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen and Minister for Public Works and Procurement
The Honourable Mick de Brenni
Minister for Housing
The Honourable Meaghan Scanlon
- The Palaszczuk Government has engaged Gold Coast-based builders Volo Modular to rollout factory-built social homes
- Eighteen duplexes, including 11 for Gympie and seven for Eidsvold will be delivered before the end of the year
- The government is partnering with a number of pre-fabricated builders to rollout more than 100 homes before the end of the year
- It’s part of a record $5 billion for social and affordable homes, the largest investment in Queensland’s history, to help deliver 13,500 homes
The Palaszczuk Government’s record investment in social and affordable housing is looking to pre-fabricated home builders like Volo Modular on the Gold Coast to help deliver more homes quickly for Queenslanders.
A first-of-its kind partnership with modular homes manufacturers is accelerating the rollout ensuring delivery of as many new homes as possible, as quickly as possible – with builds taking a quarter of the time of a traditional build.
The modern homes initiative is on track to deliver over 100 homes by the end of the year. This includes 53 new homes to accommodate Queensland’s most vulnerable and an additional 64 for frontline workers in regional communities.
Including traditional builds, construction is already underway on almost 600 new government-owned homes across the State.
Quote attributable to Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon:
“Every Queenslander deserves a roof over their head and we all know the impacts national housing pressures are having on Queensland right now.
“Since 2015, we’ve delivered on average more than 10 homes per week – and we’re doing more with a record investment and initiatives like this to get more homes off the ground.
“Through our partnership with modular home manufacturers, new social housing homes will be delivered across Queensland in areas such as Ipswich, Logan, Central Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett and rural and regional Queensland.”
Quotes attributable to Public Works and Procurement Minister Mick de Brenni:
“Production of modern homes is really ramping up now with homes already rolling out from the factories of our 11 industry partners as well as from QBuild’s Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeships Centre at Eagle Farm.
“We’re also close to finalising a site for another QBuild Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeships Centre in Cairns and that will be a huge benefit for remote communities.
“Importantly, QBuild is future-proofing construction workforces right across Queensland – they are training 1,000 tradies and apprentices by 2026 to be our local skilled carpenters, painters, electricians, and plumbers of tomorrow.”
Quote attributable to Volo Modular’s Rick Bell, who said their factory would deliver 18 duplexes, including 11 for Gympie and seven for Eidsvold:
“We’ll be delivering them to site prior to Christmas,” he said.
Mr Bell said the Eidsvold homes will be installed in one day, while the Gympie homes would be completed in two.
“Then they’ll be ready to move in.”
He added that modular home continued to grow in popularity.
“We’re busy as, which is really good.
“People now are realising they can have an amazing home manufactured in a factory in a quarter of the timeframe it takes for a traditional build – that’s the beauty of Modular.”
ENDS
Media contact: Francis Dela Cruz – 0420 592 078