RCV welcomes pilot to address housing skills shortages in rural Victoria

Rural Councils Victoria (RCV) welcomes the state government’s announcement of a $200,000 grant to support a feasibility study and shared services pilot for the Shared Municipal Building Surveying Services initiative.

Yarriambiack Shire Council will lead the project and will work in partnership Buloke, Hindmarsh and Loddon Shires, as well as Swan Hill Rural City Council to deliver the initiative that will help unlock much-needed housing supply across the region.

RCV has long been advocating for solutions to the challenges rural councils face in our Rural Housing Action Plan. Rural communities need targeted solutions specifically for their unique challenges.
 
“It is pleasing to see that government has taken the RCV Rural Housing Action Plan into consideration and is delivering on the ask to increase rural expertise and capacity to deliver housing projects,” RCV Chair Cr Mary-Ann Brown said in response to the state government’s announcement.
 
“Rural Councils Victoria welcomes the announcement to fund a trial to bring more municipal building surveyors to rural Victoria. Rural communities are in desperate need of more housing and this trial will assist in addressing the housing challenges faced by these rural communities.”
 
The project will support rural councils in the timely processing of assessing building permit applications, conducting building inspections at mandatory stages and issuing occupancy permits and certificates of final inspection.

Building surveyors play a critical role in our development processes, but small rural councils often face challenges in securing these essential services, which are paramount in unlocking housing supply in the region.
 
The pilot project will be carried out in three phases:

1. A business case is to be established to identify the specific challenges and opportunities for sharing surveying services among our councils.
   
2. Then, a ‘Shared Service Hub’ Pilot Program will be established across 5 Victorian rural councils to provide a centralized Municipal Building Surveyor service, making it easier and more cost-effective for participating councils to access these crucial services.
   
3. The third phase will evaluate the program’s effectiveness against the business case findings and share recommendations that could help other rural councils streamline their own approval processes.

The feasibility study will run until early 2026, with results shared widely to benefit all rural and regional councils throughout Victoria.
 
“Rural Councils Victoria is looking forward to working closely with the government to see more projects like this delivered in rural Victorian communities,” said Cr Brown.