OPTIONS to address Robinvale’s ailing teacher accommodation offerings are being discussed.
A variety of homes in town previously used by the Education Department now sit empty.
Most are on expansive blocks that are prime candidates for subdivision.
Swan Hill Rural City Council chief executive Scott Barber said many of the homes were quite run down.
“I don’t think they’re actually being used at this point of time,” Mr Barber said.
Member for Mildura Jade Benham said the problem was widespread.
“There’s 10 staff vacancies at the (Robinvale) college at the moment, just at the college, that’s huge,” she said.
Regional Development Minister Harriet Shing said that ideally, accommodation to attract and retain teachers in regional areas should be made, and kept, fit-for-purpose.
“There is a range of options that we are working through, including with the Department of Education, with the School Building Authority, with the council and with Homes Victoria,” Ms Shing said.
“I’m really looking forward to the outcome of those discussions as they’re being facilitated.”
Mr Barber said many of Robinvale’s teachers lived in Mildura, largely due to a lack of appropriate housing.
“It would be more ideal if they wouldn’t have to drive that far each day, if there was somewhere for them in Robinvale for them to live,” Mr Barber said.
“That would be a nice modern home, comfortable and safe, and that’s what we’d want to see, there’s opportunities here.”
Ms Benham said the Robinvale Employment Network Taskforce had done a lot of work in this space.
“The potential is there and the work has gone into working out how we can develop those blocks into one and two bedroom units,” she said.
“We’re sitting down with council to work out how that might look.”
Mr Barber said a possible option is replicating the success of new professional housing, that has been created at Ronald Street, Robinvale.
“We believe it could be a large investment from the state government, but with partnerships with other parties,” Mr Barber said.
“First we’d need to get an agreement that this is a plan that can go ahead and everybody agrees it should go ahead, and the next thing would be to get in the detail of dollars.”
Ms Shing said Regional Development Victoria was in the process of coordinating conversations regarding teacher housing options.
“There’s a range of different stakeholders who’s views and priorities need to be taken into account,” Ms Shing said.
“For example whether the Department of Education and Training has as its core business meeting the costs of accommodation for teachers, or indeed whether that should in fact be acquitted by somebody else.
“This is where again, they’re not easy conversations to have, because in many cases these are conversations that haven’t happened before.”
