First Regional Worker Accommodation Fund project completed

24/10/2025

Six Rural Northwest Health Workers standing on the porch of the new duplex worker accommodation building in Hopetoun.

Hopetoun is ready to welcome vital healthcare workers following the completion of new staff accommodation – the first project delivered under the Victorian Government’s Regional Worker Accommodation Fund.

Rural Northwest Health’s (RNH) 4 new modular worker houses are now ready to host 12 medical professionals and their families, bringing much-needed expertise to the town and easing the burden on the local rental market.

The completion is already having a positive effect on the town, with a successful recruitment drive for all 12 positions enabling the reopening of Hopetoun’s urgent care centre, in anticipation of the new staff’s arrival.

The centre had been on diversion for just over 2 years, with Warracknabeal and Horsham the closest hospitals with urgent care available.

RNH CEO Jenni Masters is thrilled to see the project has come to fruition and already supporting better health and wellbeing outcomes for the community.

“In early 2023 RNH made the challenging decision to divert our Hopetoun Urgent Care, with the safety of our community firmly in mind. And, while it certainly wasn’t an easy decision to make, it was necessary,” said Jenni.

Following months of discussions and planning RNH applied for, and was subsequently granted, funding from the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund to build accommodation with a firm goal in mind – to attract and retain more skilled staff to Hopetoun.”

Jenni and the team at RNH are looking forward to getting the new staff members settled in Hopetoun and are very pleased to see how quickly the accommodation was built.

“RNH is proud to say that our project is the first project completed under the grant funding round – a testament to the incredible work of RNH and Swanbuild. RNH will now begin the process of welcoming staff to the duplexes.”

The worker houses were largely developed off-site in Swan Hill by modular construction business Swanbuild, before being shipped to Hopetoun earlier this year for assembly and connection to essential services.

Two tradies laying the concrete for the shared carport between the two duplexes. One tradie is standing to the left, leaning on a broom, while the second tradie is squatting to the right side, working on the wet concrete. A carport roof is centre frame, with the two duplexes visible on either side.

It’s one of several Regional Worker Accommodation Fund projects using modular designs to deliver housing in remote locations.

For Swanbuild Director Josh Perryman, the success of the project is a testament to the important role modular housing can play in addressing shortages across the state.

“We believe modular housing is a game-changer when it comes to tackling Victoria’s housing shortage. It’s faster and highly scalable, making it a smart solution for regional areas,” said Josh.

“Swanbuild is proud to have supported the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund in Hopetoun, and we look forward to seeing a thriving community, supported by these houses.”

RNH’s project is one of more than 40 being delivered across Victoria with the support of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund, which is unlocking around $370 million in new housing investment across regional communities and delivering new housing for thousands of key workers.

Support for the Hopetoun worker accommodation project is part of a record $47 billion investment in just over a decade to drive economic growth and make Victoria’s regions even better places to live, work, stay, experience, invest and study.